The Federal Government has mandated all secondary school teachers to secure proper certification by 2027.
Schools employing unregistered teachers risk losing accreditation to host national public examinations.
The Federal Government has ordered that all secondary school teachers, whether in public or private institutions, must hold proper teaching certification or risk their schools losing accreditation as examination centres.
The directive, issued on Thursday, September 11, by Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa to the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), is aimed at strengthening professionalism and quality assurance in the teaching sector.
Alausa outlined a phased timeline beginning in 2027: by March for WASSCE, May for NABTEB, and June for both NECO and SAISSCE. From these dates, any school employing teachers who are not fully registered and licensed with TRCN will be barred from hosting public examinations.
He explained that state governments should actively enforce the policy, targeting at least 75 per cent compliance by 2026 and full compliance by 2027.
To help teachers without education degrees but with at least a year of classroom experience, the minister recommended the abridged professional certification program offered by the National Teachers Institute (NTI).
“The NTI’s short professional courses, which last between three and six months, will allow non-education graduates to obtain the credentials needed for TRCN registration and licensing,” Alausa said.
He also urged education stakeholders to give the directive top priority, emphasizing the need for widespread sensitization to prevent disruption of public examination accreditation.
“Stakeholders should treat this policy as urgent to avoid accreditation setbacks for national exams,” he added.
