Abstract:
Anecdotal evidence shows that despite the various trainings provided by organisations such as
the Universal Basic Education Commission and National Teachers' Institute for Primary
School Classroom Teachers (PSCTs) in Ekiti State, they still exhibit skills deficiency and poor
classroom competencies. In remediation of this trend, the Teachers' Registration Council of
Nigeria (TRCN), therefore, started providing the Mandatory Continuing Professional
Development Programme (MCPDP) for the PSCTs. However, since the beginning of the
MCPDP in 2006, there has not been an independent empirical assessment of the MCPDP; most
reports on it have been self-reporting. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the TRCN
MCPDP for PSCTs with respect to some teacher characteristics in Ekiti State between 2011
and 2021.
This study was anchored to the Antecedent, Transaction and Outcome Evaluation Model,
while the mixed- methods approach of the convergent parallel design was used. Seventy public
primary schools were purposively selected with teachers who attended MCPDP in Ekiti State,
while 166 teachers (all the 90 attendees and randomly selected 76 non-attendees of PSCTs
MCPDP) between 2011 and 2021 participated in the study. The instruments used were
MCPDP Teacher Attitude (r=0.77), MCPDP Implementation Constraints (r=0.80), MCPDP
Implementation Solutions (r=0.94), Teaching Profession Attitude (r=0.75), Ideas/Experiences
Cross-fertilisation (r=0.94) questionnaires, Teachers’ Engagement (r=0.88) and Teachers’
Classroom Action Observation (r=0.92) scales. Key informant interviews were conducted with
eight school head teachers and two senior TRCN officials. The quantitative data were analysed
using descriptive statistics, t-test and multiple regression at α=0.05, while the qualitative data
were thematically analysed.
There were 102 females and 64 males with qualifications such as NCE (54.0%), B.Ed/B.Sc
(40.0%), M.Ed (5.0%) and Ph.D (1.0%), and teaching experience 5-10 (27.0%), 11-15
(61.8%), 16-20 (38.2%) and above 21 (7.0%) years. While 120 PSCTs had TRCN practicing
license, 46 do not. Most of the facilitators were male (91.0%), all with Ph.D and mostly
professors (79.0%). The majority of the PSCTs (80.0%) agreed that the MCPDP fostered
PSCTs' cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiences, social engagements, teaching skills and
communication. Item weighted mean (x̄ =1.83) for PSCTs' attitude towards MCPDP, and
teaching profession (x̄ =1.67) were positive. No significant difference existed in the teaching
competencies between MCPDP attendees and non-attendees. Cross-fertilisation of
ideas/experiences significantly contributed to PSCTs teaching competencies (β=0.18). Social
(β=0.34), intellectual engagements (β=0.33) and MCPD training (β=0.23) significantly
contributed to PSCTs attitude towards the teaching profession and MCPDP. Interviews of the
MCPDP were reported to have improved PSCTs' teaching competencies, commitment and
continuous relevance to the teaching profession, while inadequate funding, large class size and
inability to register with TRCN were the challenges facing the MCPDP implementation.
Solutions suggested were increased government funding, public enlightenment and PSCTs'
TRCN registration.
The Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme of the Teachers'
Registration Council of Nigeria enhanced primary school teachers' cross-fertilisation of
ideas/experiences, social engagements, commitment to the profession, continued relevance,
skills in teaching and communication, and attitude toward the teaching profession in Ekiti
State. The TRCN should intensify the funding of MCPD Programme and create more public
awareness.
