The results of some teachers who recently sat for the professional qualifying examination (PQE) have been cancelled by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), due to malpractice.

The council also disclosed that of the 15,753 teachers who sat for the examination across the country, about 3,963 failed.

The Registrar of the council, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, said: “All the cases of examination malpractice reported were treated accordingly all over the country at the management level. And the results were cancelled as punitive measures. All the cases were identified or recorded because we have evidence against them.”

Speaking further, Ajiboye insisted that the teaching profession was no longer an all-comers affair or a “job for the boys.”

He disclosed that thus far, over 2.3 million teachers have been registered, out of which over 400,000 have been fully licensed by the council.

He restated that about 50 per cent of teachers in private schools are not qualified, saying the council would soon begin to clamp down on them.

To achieve this, Ajiboye hinted at moves by the council to get a fiat from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, which would empower it to prosecute, and go after erring schools.

He said: “The problem we have is that education is on the concurrent list. These private schools are not registered by the Federal Government; we have been discussing with the states to confirm the list of their teachers to ensure they are qualified.”