The Federal Government has announced that from 2027, only secondary schools with teachers certified by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) will be accredited to host public examinations.
The directive was contained in a memo from the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to the Registrar/Chief Executive of TRCN, in line with government policy to strengthen professionalism and quality assurance in the teaching profession.
“Any School…Shall Be Disqualified”
Explaining the policy, Alausa said schools whose teachers lack TRCN certification will be barred from conducting national examinations, including WASSCE, NABTEB, NECO and SAISSCE.
“Accordingly, effective from March 2027 for WASSCE, May 2027 for NABTEB, June 2027 for NECO and June 2027 for SAISSCE, any school whose teachers are not duly registered and licensed with the TRCN shall be disqualified from serving as an examination centre,” the minister stated.
He also directed state governments to align with the policy and ensure public and private schools take necessary steps to comply.
Compliance Timeline and Targets
According to the minister, a two-year compliance window has been provided to enable schools and teachers meet the new requirements.
“Compliance with this directive shall be monitored, with schools expected to achieve a minimum compliance rate of 75 per cent by 2026 and full compliance of 100 per cent by 2027,” he added.
This means schools must show significant progress by 2026 or risk eventual disqualification from accreditation.
Pathway for Non-Education Graduates
To ease the transition, the government has made provisions for an abridged certification route through the National Teachers Institute (NTI).
Alausa advised that teachers who are non-education graduates but have at least 12 months of classroom teaching experience should enrol in the NTI programme.
The professional short courses, lasting between three to six months, will enable participants to register and obtain licensing from TRCN.
Stakeholders Urged to Take Directive Seriously
The Minister urged education stakeholders to prioritise compliance, conduct awareness campaigns nationwide and avoid disruptions in the accreditation process for public examinations.
He added that teachers and school administrators should give the directive the highest priority and ensure wide sensitisation across the country.
Last month, the Federal Government also rolled out a digital portal under TRCN to simplify teacher registration, licensing, renewal of credentials, professional development and scheduling of the TRCN Professional Qualifying Examination. The PQE has been streamlined from 23 subjects to five core areas including foundational mathematics, literacy, pedagogy, digital literacy and safeguarding.