Lagos teachers’ union accuses journalists of misrepresentation

“Majority of the journalists did not get the idea behind the framework; it was presented and being likened to the competency test which is in practise in Ekiti and Edo States.”

The Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Lagos State Chapter, on Thursday said that journalists have contributed to the challenges experienced in the ongoing sensitisation of teachers on its competency framework.

Segun Raheem, chairman, of the union in Lagos State, said that the misrepresentation by reporters about the competency framework, made the sensitisation exercise more tasking.

The NUT, Lagos State chapter, is on a sensitisation exercise in the 20 local government areas of the state, educating teachers on the competency framework, as it affected their progression and promotion.

“Majority of the journalists did not get the idea behind the framework; it was presented and being likened to the competency test which is in practise in Ekiti and Edo States.

“This has raised a lot of issues and challenges. Ordinarily, the sensitisation had started since last year, without hitches.

“It was after the seminar that was organised for stakeholders in the education sector on the competency framework and its misrepresentation by journalists that the sensitisation became challenging,” Mr. Raheem said.

He said Lagos State and the NUT had reached an understanding some years ago and a competency test should be held for teachers in the state.

“The competency test had been done in Lagos before and was called the Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA).

“It was based on this that the needs of teachers were discovered and that brought about this framework,” Mr. Raheem said.

He said the assessment would be an on-the-spot assessment and not a written test, as it was done in Ekiti and Edo states, because it was not a true test of professionalism.

However, Raheem said the sensitisation would also educate the teachers on the need to have a licence from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN.

He said the teachers would be educated on programmes to be embarked upon that had to do with their welfare.

(NAN)