National Teachers' Institute NTI to Launch Mandatory One-Year Teacher Internship Program by January 2024
okpe chinenye 
Professor Musa Maitafsir, the Director-General of the National Teachers' Institute (NTI) in Kaduna, has announced plans to implement a mandatory one-year Teacher Internship Program starting in January 2024. This initiative was revealed during a press conference held in Abuja to mark the 2023 World Teachers' Day, celebrated under the theme, "The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage."
World Teachers' Day, observed annually on October 5 since 1994, commemorates the adoption of the 1996 ILO/UNESCO recommendation concerning the status of teachers. The day emphasizes the rights, responsibilities, and standards related to teachers' initial preparation, ongoing education, recruitment, and employment.
Professor Maitafsir explained that the Teacher Internship Program will be introduced in collaboration with the Teachers' Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and is aligned with Section 'C,' subsection (1), page 21 of the National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) (2014). According to the policy, every new teacher should be registered by the TRCN after completing at least one year of successful Internship and Mentoring following their graduation from any Teacher Education Program.
The program's duration is set to be one year and will apply to NCE, B.ed, PGDE, M.ed, and PhD holders in the education sector. It will be operated in two sessions, March and November each year, either before or after the commencement of NYSC for degree certificate holders.
Notably, the program is exclusively for prospective teachers and does not pertain to individuals who have already been inducted by TRCN and awarded its certificate. The internship aims to equip trainee-teachers with practical knowledge of teaching and learning processes, covering various areas such as e-facilitation, teaching skills, psycho-principles of commitment to teaching, aesthetics, entrepreneurship education, and monthly teachers' acculturation lectures.
Upon successful completion of the program, participants will receive a "Teacher Internship Certificate" that qualifies them for TRCN Induction and Certification. A mandatory application fee of N7,000 and an internship fee of N50,000 will be required from all interns.
The program will be conducted at the NTI headquarters in Kaduna and the six geopolitical zones across the country. Professor Maitafsir believes that this initiative will significantly enhance the quality of teaching and learning in Nigeria, producing highly motivated and efficient educators.
He emphasized the need to professionalize the teaching sector in Nigeria by ensuring that only qualified individuals are engaged as teachers in schools. The compulsory internship program is a pivotal step toward achieving this goal, as it will allow only those who have successfully completed it to be licensed and recognized as "Teachers" in the profession.
