Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria says 412 primary and secondary school teachers in Lagos State will write its maiden edition of the Professional Qualifying Examination on Oct. 14.

The Director of TRCN in Lagos State, Mr Gbolahan Enilolobo, on Wednesday, said that the examination would qualify the successful teachers as professionals.

“Teachers are long overdue to be addressed as professionals.

“We call teaching the mother of all professions. If we call it the mother of all professions, then, why do we not address the practitioners as professionals thereby practicing what we say?’’ he said.

According to him, many teachers have already taken advantage of the conventional period to regularise their certificate with the council and pay for the licence.

Enilolobo said any teacher licensed during the conventional period would not need to take PQE.

He said that the introduction of PQE would be followed by a nationwide clampdown on unlicensed schools and teachers early in 2018.

Enilolobo said that since many teachers had already utilised the conventional period to be licensed, few teachers were registering to sit for the professional examination.

“PQE will create awareness for other teachers that the professional examination is real.

“Most teachers in Lagos State have registered and paid for the license during the conventional period.

“It is those that did not hear anything at all that are sitting for PQE.

“It is expected that there will be massive turnout in 2018, as there will be recruitment of teachers in the state as well as convocation of fresh graduates from the tertiary institutions,’’ he said.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education gave teachers in the state a period to regularise their certificates and pay for their licences without having to sit for any examinations.

The ministry called this period a conventional period, before the introduction of PQE.