FG sets TRCN certification as condition for school hosting of public exams

The federal government has directed that all secondary schools must ensure their teachers are certified by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) or they will no longer be allowed to serve as examination centres.

This new directive was contained in a memo issued on Thursday by Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, to the registrar of the TRCN.

Alausa said the directive is a move to strengthen professionalism in the teaching profession.

Starting in 2027, he said, the accreditation of all secondary schools for public examinations like the WASSCE, NABTEB, NECO, and NBIAS will be strictly tied to TRCN teacher certification.

“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,” he stated.

The minister also urged state governments to ensure compliance by all teachers in state-owned and private secondary schools within the next two years.

Compliance will be monitored, with schools expected to achieve a minimum of 75% compliance by 2026 and 100% by 2027.

To make compliance easier, Alausa encouraged teachers who are not education graduates but have at least 12 months of classroom teaching experience to enroll in the National Teachers Institute (NTI).

He said the institute offers an abridged professional certification programme with short professional courses lasting three to six months, after which participants can qualify for TRCN registration and licensing.

The minister urged all concerned parties to prioritise this directive and ensure wide sensitisation of stakeholders across the country to avoid any disruption to the accreditation process for public examinations.