Nigeria harps on teachers’ vital certifications, bars unqualified schools as centres for WASSCE, NECO, others

*The Federal Ministry of Education directed the accreditation of both public and private secondary schools for the conduct of public examinations, including WASSCE, NABTEB, NECO and NBIAS, in line with the government policy decision to strengthen professionalism in the teaching profession in Nigeria

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Against the backdrop of the increasing menace of unqualified teachers raising serious concerns among education stakeholders in Nigeria, the Federal Government has announced that secondary schools and colleges with unqualified teachers will no longer be allowed to serve as registered examination centres for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) effective from March 2027.

ConsumerConnect reports Dr. Tunji Alausa, Honourable Minister for Education, in a strategic policy directive issued Thursday, September 11, 2025, and addressed to the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), directed teachers to obtain the necessary certifications to remain relevant in the teaching profession.

Dr. Tunji Alausa, Honourable Minister for Education

The directive stated: “The Federal Ministry of Education has directed that, in line with government policy to strengthen professionalism in the teaching profession, the accreditation of both public and private secondary schools for the conduct of public examinations — WASSCE, NABTEB, NECO and NBIAS — shall henceforth be contingent on the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) certification of teachers engaged in such schools.”

Hitherto, certain surveys in the public domain suggested that several teachers in especially private schools and colleges are also unqualified, according to report.

Concerned stakeholders also have emphasised the recruitment of unqualified teachers has remained a persistent, age-long problem affecting students’ learning outcomes in the country.

TRCN on menace of unqualified teachers in schools, colleges

It is recalled the TRCN, in 2023, had declared that about 70 percent of teachers in some regions of the country were unqualified, raising serious concerns among education stakeholders.

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Dr. Alausa, in the directive, asserted: “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 for Education restated: “State governments are, therefore, requested to take due cognisance of this directive and put in place necessary measures to ensure that all teachers in state-owned secondary schools and private secondary schools obtain the requisite TRCN certification within the stipulated two years from the date of this policy directive.”

According to the Ministry, compliance with this directive will be closely monitored, as schools are expected to achieve a minimum compliance rate of 75 percent by 2026 and full compliance of 100 percent by 2027.

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The memo further explained that “teachers who are non-education graduates but possess not less than 12 months of classroom teaching experience are encouraged to enrol in the abridged professional certification programme offered through the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI).”

The directive as well noted that NTI programme “consists of short professional courses lasting between three and six months, after which participants will qualify for TRCN registration and licensing.”