EVALUATION OF THE MANDATORY CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME OF THE TEACHERS’ REGISTRATION COUNCIL OF NIGERIA IN EKITI STATE, 2011-2021

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.