The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, says it has uncovered 250 fake teaching certificates during a recruitment exercise, prompting the introduction of QR-coded certificates and stricter digital verification measures to tackle credential fraud.
The council said the discovery was made during a recruitment process in which an unidentified state government sought to employ about 1,000 teachers.
The move forms part of efforts to eliminate unqualified practitioners from Nigerian classrooms and strengthen professional standards in the teaching sector.
The Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of TRCN, Dr Ronke Soyombo, described the circulation of forged teaching credentials as a serious threat to the country’s education standards while monitoring the ongoing computer-based Professional, PQE, Qualifying Examination at Redeemer’s TEAP International School, Abuja.
She explained that the council now issues certificates embedded with Quick Response, QR, codes which enable employers to access its portal and authenticate candidates’ credentials instantly before recruitment.
She added that TRCN had also strengthened examination security by introducing randomised questions tailored to candidates’ qualifications.
The system ensures that candidates with PhD, first-degree and Nigeria Certificate in Education qualifications sitting alongside one another receive different sets of questions, reducing opportunities for examination malpractice.
On the council’s licensing drive, Soyombo said the Federal Government had set a target of ensuring that 75 per cent of teachers are licensed by the end of 2026, while all teachers must be certified before entering classrooms by December 2027.
Commending the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for supporting the mandatory certification initiative, she stressed that possessing a first-class degree alone does not qualify an individual to teach.
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According to her, teachers must also demonstrate competence in pedagogy, child safeguarding and digital literacy to meet the requirements of the profession.
Soyombo further disclosed that previous PQE assessments revealed widespread weaknesses in mathematics among teachers across the country.
She said the council was working with relevant education agencies to develop targeted training programmes to address the gaps.
She attributed the increase in registration to the council’s digital reforms, noting that registrations rose from 13,000 in May 2025 to 26,000 in November 2025.
She added that 21,000 candidates were currently taking the 2026 examination nationwide, with results expected to be released digitally within one week.
The registrar urged candidates to shun examination malpractice and fraudulent practices, assuring that the council would sustain its digital verification measures to protect schoolchildren and improve teaching standards.
Some candidates who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria described the computer-based examination as well-coordinated.
One of the candidates, Ms Celestina Adejo, said the examination questions helped sharpen her knowledge of child safeguarding and information and communication technology security.
A Nigerian Navy education officer, Ebi Mustapha, and a teacher with 27 years of classroom experience, Esther Ali, said they took the examination to validate their professional competence. They also encouraged other teachers to obtain professional certification.
However, another candidate, Benjamin Edet, suggested that examination slips should contain candidates’ assigned centres and schedules to avoid delays associated with accessing information through WhatsApp groups and external links.
Meanwhile, the CBT Coordinator and ICT Administrator at the examination centre, Mrs Ann Ogbu, said the facility deployed a 60KVA solar system, a 250KVA backup generator and 20 standby computers out of its 220 systems to ensure uninterrupted examinations.
Ogbu said the Garki-based facility, which was expanding its capacity to 320 computers, had conducted successful demonstration tests with TRCN’s technical team to ensure stable server connectivity throughout the exercise.
She added that the school’s role in hosting major examinations for TRCN, the West African Examinations Council, the National Examinations Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflected its modern ICT infrastructure and commitment to quality education.
NAN
