The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria has uncovered 250 forged teaching certificates during a recruitment exercise by an unidentified state government seeking to employ about 1,000 teachers.
The council’s Registrar and Chief Executive, Dr Ronke Soyombo, disclosed this on Thursday while monitoring the ongoing computer-based Professional Qualifying Examination at Redeemer’s TEAP International School in Abuja.
Soyombo described the discovery as a major concern for the education sector, warning that the presence of unqualified individuals in classrooms could undermine teaching standards.
She said the council had introduced QR-code-enabled certificates to enable employers to verify applicants’ credentials directly through its online portal before offering them employment.
According to her, the measure is part of efforts to eliminate fraudulent qualifications and prevent unqualified individuals from practising as teachers.
Soyombo also disclosed that the council had strengthened examination security through a system of randomised questions tailored to candidates’ academic qualifications.
She explained that the arrangement would make it difficult for candidates with different qualifications, including PhD, first-degree and Nigeria Certificate in Education holders, to engage in examination malpractice.
The registrar further revealed 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 individuals must be certified before entering classrooms by December 2027.
She emphasised that possessing a first-class degree was not sufficient qualification to become a teacher without demonstrating competence in teaching methods, child protection and digital literacy.
Soyombo added that previous assessments had exposed weaknesses in mathematics among teachers across the country, prompting the council to develop targeted training programmes in collaboration with relevant education agencies.
She said the council’s digital reforms had increased teacher registration from 13,000 in May 2025 to 26,000 in November 2025, while 21,000 candidates were participating in the 2026 qualifying examination nationwide.
The registrar assured candidates that their results would be made available digitally within one week and urged them to avoid examination malpractice and fraudulent practices.
Some candidates who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria described the computer-based examination as well-organised.
A candidate, Celestina Adejo, said the examination had improved her understanding of child safeguarding and information and communications technology security.
Similarly, a Nigerian Navy education officer, Ebi Mustapha, and Esther Ali, a teacher with 27 years of classroom experience, said they took the examination to demonstrate their professional competence.
However, another candidate, Benjamin Edet, called for examination slips to contain candidates’ assigned centres and schedules directly to prevent delays associated with obtaining such information through WhatsApp groups and external links.
The CBT Coordinator and ICT Administrator at the examination centre, Ann Ogbu, said adequate facilities had been provided to ensure uninterrupted examinations.
She disclosed that the centre had installed a 60kVA solar system, a 250kVA standby generator and 20 backup computers to support its 220 computer systems.
Ogbu added that the facility had successfully conducted demonstration tests with the TRCN technical team to ensure reliable server connectivity throughout the exercise.
