The Federal Government has announced that starting from 2027, secondary schools employing unqualified teachers will no longer be allowed to serve as examination centres for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and other national examinations.
In a policy directive issued on September 11, 2025, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, instructed that all teachers must secure certification from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). The directive was conveyed to the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of TRCN.
According to the memo, the accreditation of both public and private secondary schools for conducting public examinations — WASSCE, NABTEB, NECO, and NBIAS — will henceforth depend on the TRCN certification status of their teachers.
This move follows a 2023 TRCN report that revealed about 70 per cent of teachers in certain regions were unqualified, sparking widespread concern among education stakeholders.
The new policy sets strict timelines:
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 TRCN by these dates will be barred from serving as an examination centre.
Dr. Alausa directed state governments to ensure that all teachers in public and private secondary schools obtain TRCN certification within two years. Schools must meet a 75 per cent compliance rate by 2026 and achieve full compliance by 2027, with close monitoring from the ministry.
To support teachers without formal education degrees, the directive advised them to enrol in the abridged professional certification programme offered by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI). The programme, which lasts between three and six months, qualifies participants for TRCN registration and licensing upon completion.
Stakeholders have long decried the prevalence of unqualified teachers in many private schools, warning that the trend undermines learning outcomes and the overall quality of education in Nigeria.
