Elevating the Teaching Profession: A Comprehensive National Blueprint for Standardising Teacher Qualifications and Continuous Professional Development Across All Nigerian Educational Institutions

Abstract

The teaching competence, professionalism, and ongoing development of teachers are closely connected to the quality of the country's education system. In Nigeria, various inequalities in the qualifications of teachers and access to professional training have led to the uneven degree of learning among regions and schools. The proposal outlined in the present paper provides a thorough national framework which can be used to standardize teachers in Nigeria and institutionalise/institutionalize continuous professional development (CPD) within all educational institutions in the country. Based on world best practices, current national policies, and empirical evidence, it has been recommended that a National Teacher Qualification Framework (NTQF) be developed to outline minimum entry requirements, teacher certification procedures and defined career progression pathways. The blueprint also contains a compulsory CPD model that will make sure that teachers have the recent practices in pedagogical techniques, technological changes and changes in curriculum. The Balanced regulations between qualification standards and CPD opportunities will facilitate the promotion of professional excellence and minimize regional variance through the proposed framework, thereby enhancing nationwide learning results. This research concluded that there is a need to coordinate national efforts supported by sufficient funds and the effective integration of policies and stakeholders to boost the teaching profession and improve Nigeria's competitiveness in the world market.