Abstract


National development all over the world has continued to be intricately tied to educational development in which

the teacher is the critical element. Many countries of the world have realized this central role of the \teacher in

the education process, and both developed and developing countries including Nigeria, have made some efforts in

this area. The situation in Nigeria, however, has not shown a linear upward progression both in national and

education development. Evidence abounds as to the existence of reform agenda, improved monetary wages, and

establishment of teachers training institutions and specialized bodies, recruitment of more teachers and welladvertised

capacity building workshops. The evidence of the positive impact of all these efforts, though not yet

empirically researched into, does not seem to be significant. The state of the education sector in Nigeria may

attest to this guess. Experts have traced this problem to poor teacher professional development among others.

This paper thus reviewed past and present efforts of government and other stakeholders aimed at Teacher

Professional Development in Nigeria, identified potholes in the course of this journey and suggested the patches

for smooth drive. Initial teacher education, induction and Continued Professional Development (CPD) were

considered. The journey started with the activities of the church missions and reached the establishment of

Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). The potholes noticed include unrestrictedentry into the

profession, proliferation of teacher education institutions, among others. The need to streamline the various

efforts was advocated among others.