The Nigeria Union of Teachers in Kaduna State has rejected the Federal Ministry of Education's decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into colleges of education from writing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination.
Ibrahim Dalhatu and Adamu Ayuba Kaltungo, the union's chairman and secretary in the state, said in a joint statement that removing the JAMB requirement for Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) candidates would damage the quality of teacher training and ultimately harm education standards across the country.
The union's position echoes a similar stance taken by the National Executive Council of NUT at the national level. Both bodies view the exemption as counterproductive and warn that it sends the wrong message about the teaching profession.
"Excluding candidates from taking the examination will imply that the profession is for academically weak candidates and 'all comers'," the statement said. The union stressed that teaching is a "highly intellectual and strategic profession" that must remain competitive.
The teachers' body pointed out that the teaching profession already struggles with low esteem in Nigeria. Exempting college of education candidates from JAMB would reinforce the erroneous belief that teaching is a "last resort" career, they argued. This contradicts what happens in countries with high-performing education systems, where teachers are recruited from among the brightest students.
The exemption would also undermine ongoing reforms by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria aimed at restoring respect to the profession, NUT said. The union warned that it would weaken efforts to position teaching as a genuine profession for those genuinely passionate about it, rather than a fallback job for anyone.
Instead of removing the JAMB requirement, the union urged the Federal Government to focus on improving teachers' welfare and remuneration to attract brilliant candidates to the profession. NUT called for scholarships, bursaries, and special incentives for education students, alongside admission advantages that do not compromise academic standards.
The union also wants the government to fully implement a bill signed into law by the Muhammadu Buhari administration on April 9, 2022. According to NUT, that legislation addresses the same concerns the current exemption policy is trying to tackle.
The Ministry of Education has not yet responded to the union's position.
