PROFESSIONALIZATION OF TEACHING IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA AND ITS PROBLEMS

Abstract

This p a p e r w a s d e s i g n e d t o critically examine the professionalization of teaching in contemporary Nigeria and its problems. Scholarly publications in the past have shown that teaching profession in Nigeria is largely overcrowded by unqualified, quacks and charlatan teachers. As such, this has seriously affected the quality of educational output and national development. Several attempts to disengage them have been largely abortive because of fragmentation of teachers into many associations, low professional status, non-involvement of teachers in key educational issues, state control of staff personnel services for teachers and attitudes of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) as depicted by this paper. However, since professionalization of teaching enhance adequate professionalism, effective and efficient teaching for sustainable development of the nation, it is therefore undoubtful, that educational institutions should be staffed with properly trained, well qualified and competent teachers to
teach the trainees. This paper therefore recommended that unified body beyond personal interest should be urgently established in order to oversee all the activities of teachers at all levels of educational institutions and other matters of concern.