MANDATORY REGISTRATION PRIOR TO PRACTICE

As obtains in the other noble professions, the law makes it an offence for any one to engage in teaching without registration. This is clearly spelt out in section 17(2) of the TRCN Act which states that:

If on or after the commencement of the Act, any person not being a registered member of the profession or in expectation of reward, takes or uses any name, title, addition or description implying that he is in practice as a registered member of the profession, he shall be guilty of an offence.

The Act further states that employers and other officials who aid and abet the employment of unqualified/unregistered teachers are themselves guilty of the same offence and shall receive same punishment. This is made clear in section 17(6) of the Act as follows:

Where an offence under this section which has been committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of any director, manager, secretary or other similar officers of the body corporate or any person purporting to act in such capacity, he as well as the body corporate shall be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

The Act stipulates that the punishment shall be a fine of N5,000 (five thousand Naira) or two years jail term or both.