The Director General of the National Teachers Institute (NTI), prof. Musa Maitafsir, has introduced mandatory one-year Teacher Internship Programme by January 2024.
The Director-General made this known in Abuja when he addressed newsmen to commemorate the 2023 World Teacher’s Day.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the day has as its theme, ‘The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage.’
NAN also reports that held annually on October 5 since 1994, the day is observed to commemorate the adoption of 1996 ILO/UNESCO recommendation concerning the status of teachers.
The day also focuses on the rights, responsibilities and standards of teachers’ initial preparation and further education, recruitment and employment.
Expatiating on the planned internship programme, the director general said that it would be introduced in partnership with the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
He further stated that the programme was initiated in compliance with Section ‘C’ sub-section (1), page 21 of the National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) (2014).
It states: ” After graduation from any Teacher Education Programmes, every new teacher shall be registered by the TRCN after at least one year of successful Internship and Mentoring to qualify for licence.”
Maitafsir said that the internship was a mandatory programme that is expected to last for one year for the holders of NCE, B.ed, PGDE, M.ed and PhD in the education sector.
He said: “The duration of one year is similar to Internship Programmes of other professions like Law and Medicine.
This will be operated in two diets, March and November of each year before or after the commencement of NYSC by those with Degree Certificates.”
Maitafsir, however, said that the programme would only be applicable to would-be teachers and not to those that have already been inducted by TRCN and given its certificate.
He said that the programme would acquaint the ‘ Trainee-Teachers ‘ with the practical knowledge of trashing and the learning process.
“They include e-facilitation and teacher integration in teaching skills, psycho–principles of commitment of teaching and delivery and retention techniques.
“Others are aesthetics and conventional wrong skills, entrepreneurship education skills and monthly teachers’ acculturation lectures.”
According to the director general, on the success of the programme, the trainees will be awarded a ‘Teacher Internship Certificate’ that will qualify them for TRCN ‘Induction and Certification’.
Maitafsir said that all the interns would pay an application fee of N7,000 and an internship fee of N50,000.
