The Federal Government has announced that secondary schools employing unqualified teachers will no longer be accredited to serve as centres for national examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) from 2027.

The policy directive, issued on September 11, 2025, by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and addressed to the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), mandates that teachers must obtain the necessary professional certification before schools can be accredited.

According to the directive, “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.”

This move follows a 2023 TRCN report which revealed that about 70 per cent of teachers in some regions of the country were unqualified, sparking widespread concern among education stakeholders.

Dr. Alausa stressed that the new policy will take effect 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 declared.

The minister directed state governments to ensure compliance, urging them to implement measures that would guarantee that all teachers in both public and private secondary schools obtain the requisite TRCN certification within two years. Schools are expected to achieve a minimum compliance rate of 75 per cent by 2026 and full compliance by 2027.

In addition, the directive provides a pathway for non-education graduates with at least 12 months of classroom teaching experience. Such teachers are encouraged to enrol in the abridged professional certification programme offered by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), which runs short courses lasting between three and six months. Successful participants will qualify for TRCN registration and licensing.

Stakeholders have consistently raised concerns over the proliferation of unqualified teachers, particularly in private schools, noting that the trend undermines learning outcomes and threatens the quality of education in the country.