The Federal Government has issued a new policy directive mandating that all secondary school teachers in Nigeria must be duly certified by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) for their schools to qualify as centres for national examinations such as WASSCE, NECO, NABTEB, and NBIAS.
The directive, signed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and communicated to the Registrar/CEO of TRCN, emphasized that accreditation of both public and private secondary schools will henceforth be contingent on TRCN certification of teachers.
According to the policy, enforcement begins in 2027, with deadlines set as follows: March for WASSCE, May for NABTEB, and June for both NECO and SAISSCE. Schools whose teachers fail to obtain TRCN registration and licensing by these dates will lose the right to serve as examination centres.
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To support smooth implementation, schools are expected to achieve 75% compliance by 2026 and full compliance by 2027. State Governments have been directed to ensure all teachers in public and private secondary schools obtain TRCN certification within the two-year transition period.
The Ministry also encouraged non-education graduates with at least 12 months of classroom experience to take advantage of the abridged professional certification programme offered by the National Teachers Institute (NTI). The short courses, lasting three to six months, will qualify participants for TRCN registration and licensing.
Dr. Alausa stressed that this directive is part of government’s efforts to strengthen professionalism in teaching and ensure quality education delivery nationwide. He called on all stakeholders to give the policy the highest priority and to embark on wide sensitization to avoid disruptions in examination accreditation.
