The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has uncovered 250 fake teaching certificates during a recruitment exercise for about 1,000 teachers in an unnamed state, raising concerns over the infiltration of unqualified personnel into Nigerian classrooms.
The council said the discovery had prompted the introduction of QR-coded certificates and stricter digital verification measures to curb credential fraud and protect education standards.
The Chief Executive and Registrar of TRCN, Dr Ronke Soyombo, disclosed this on Thursday while monitoring the ongoing computer-based Professional Qualifying Examination at Redeemer’s TEAP International School in Abuja.
She warned that the circulation of forged teaching credentials posed a serious threat to the quality of education in the country.
According to her, the council now issues certificates embedded with Quick Response codes that enable employers to authenticate candidates’ credentials directly through its online portal before recruitment.
Soyombo also said TRCN had introduced stricter examination security measures, including randomised questions tailored to candidates’ qualifications, to prevent malpractice among PhD, first-degree and Nigeria Certificate in Education holders.
She disclosed that the Federal Government had set a target of ensuring that 75 per cent of teachers were licensed by the end of 2026, while all teachers must be certified before entering classrooms by December 2027.
Commending the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for supporting the mandatory certification drive, Soyombo stressed that academic qualifications alone were insufficient to establish teaching competence.
She said teachers must demonstrate proficiency in pedagogy, child safeguarding and digital literacy before being permitted to teach.
The registrar also revealed that previous Professional Qualifying Examination assessments had exposed widespread weaknesses in mathematics among teachers nationwide, prompting the council to develop targeted training interventions in collaboration with relevant education agencies.
Soyombo said the council’s digital reforms had increased teacher registration from 13,000 in May 2025 to 26,000 in November 2025.
She added that 21,000 candidates were currently sitting for the 2026 qualifying examination nationwide, with results expected to be released digitally within one week.
The registrar urged candidates to shun examination malpractice and fraudulent shortcuts, assuring that the council would sustain its digital clampdown to eliminate unqualified teachers from Nigerian schools.
Some candidates who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria described the computer-based examination as well-coordinated.
A candidate, Celestina Adejo, said the questions had improved her understanding of child safeguarding and ICT security.
FG mandates TRCN license for all teachers before classroom practice
A Nigerian Navy education officer, Ebi Mustapha, and a teacher with 27 years of classroom experience, Esther Ali, said they took the examination to validate their professional competence and encouraged other teachers to obtain certification.
However, another candidate, Benjamin Edet, recommended that examination slips should contain assigned centres and schedules to avoid delays associated with WhatsApp groups and external links.
The CBT Coordinator and ICT Administrator at the school, Mrs Ann Ogbu, said the examination centre had deployed a 60kVA solar system, a 250kVA backup generator and 20 standby computers to ensure uninterrupted testing.
Ogbu said the Garki-based facility, which was expanding its capacity to 320 computers, had conducted successful demonstration tests with TRCN’s technical team to ensure stable server connectivity.
She added that the school’s hosting of examinations for TRCN, the West African Examinations Council, the National Examinations Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demonstrated its modern ICT infrastructure and commitment to quality education.
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