Working Towards A Healthier Education System

“My vision for this Council is to make it a novel institution among its peers where qualitative and prompt services are provided for teachers by highly skilled workforce and in a friendly atmosphere, thereby ensuring a healthier education system in Nigeria .” That is the moving force - the drive - that has nudged Chief Anjikwi Musa Ciwar (OON/MNAE) on since his appointment as the Pioneer Registrar/Chief Executive of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).

It is indeed a cheery story that within six years in office, Ciwar has registered and certified over 700,000 teachers; has made the Council a formidable force in President Olusegun Obasanjo's Education reform policies; has secured zonal offices in the 12 zones of the Federation; set up state offices in all the states of the federation; and maintained the pressure for the introduction of the Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) - a new salary structure for certified teachers in the country; conceptualized and secured approval for the implementation of the Federal Teachers Scheme (FTS) which kicked off recently with the engagement of 40,000 unemployed NCE graduates across the country.

A member of the Nigerian Academy of Educators (MNAE), Chief Ciwar identified three major factors as being responsible for the success story of the teachers' regulatory body in just six years of operations. First is the enthusiasm and unity of purpose that exist among workers. He said as a new establishment, it was a Herculean task having to take off without any structure on ground but with determination and cooperation from staff “we were able to survive the storm.” Another factor, he added, was the ability to identify in-service training and Continuous Professional Development of teachers as issues of utmost urgency.

In view of the importance attached to in-service training and Continuous Professional Development, the TRCN declared the year 2006 as the ICT year by organizing ICT workshops for certified teachers across the country. The workshops and roundtables were held in twelve zones nationwide covering all 36 states of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory . At each zone, teachers at the Basic Education and Senior Secondary levels were given a five - day intensive practical training in the use of ICT. Teachers of tertiary institutions held a five-day roundtable to brainstorm on all themes of the workshop in order to produce a manual for further development of teachers ICT. TRCN presented a set of laptop to the best student from each of the zones.

The third factor, Ciwar stressed, was the consistent funding from the federal government which enabled him to carry out media campaigns, workshops, roundtables and networking with international development partners. The TRCN boss noted that with Government's financial support the Council was able to acquire 33 units of houses which have been sold to staff of the Council at different categories.

“My dream is to see TRCN as a body that is very powerful, effective and can contribute to national development,” Ciwar said, adding that there are well over 1.5 million teachers in the country who are appreciative of Government's intentions and are partners in progress.

The Registrar who was recently pronounced a Professor by the National Association of Professional Educators (NAPE) is an indigene of Biu Local Government Area in Borno State . He attended a teacher training college and taught briefly before proceeding to Ahmadu Bello University for his degree course in education. He graduated in 1974 as the best student in his class, winning the Dantata price for the feat.

After his youth service, he joined the service of the North Eastern State , but when it was broken into three States, he transferred his service to Borno State . Between 1977 and 1986 he was the principal of different schools. And the schools he was principal of constantly excelled in academics. In 1986, he was appointed provost of the Borno State College of Science and Technology, Bama and was there till 1992 when he was appointed as provost of the Federal College of Education, Katsina.

At the end of his tenure at FCE Katsina in 1997, Ciwar went on sabbatical and in the course of this he was appointed Special Assistant to the then Minister of Education, which made him transfer his services to the Federal Civil Service. He was retained by subsequent Ministers as Special Assistant until 2000 when appointed the pioneer Registrar/Chief executive of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.

By: Ojewuyi Muyiwa

(PRO)