The Federal Government has issued a strict directive mandating that only schools with certified teachers will be eligible to serve as centres for national examinations from 2027.
The announcement was made in a memo by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
According to the directive, accreditation for both public and private secondary schools to conduct examinations such as WASSCE, NABTEB, NECO, and SAISSCE will be strictly tied to teachers’ TRCN certification.
“Effective 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,” Alausa stated.
The minister urged state governments to take immediate action to ensure compliance, noting that schools are expected to reach a 75% compliance rate by 2026 and 100% compliance by 2027.
To ease the transition, teachers who are non-education graduates but have at least 12 months of classroom experience are advised to enroll in the National Teachers Institute’s abridged certification programme. The short professional courses, lasting between three and six months, will qualify them for TRCN registration and licensing.
Alausa stressed that schools and stakeholders must give this directive the highest priority to avoid disruptions in accreditation. He also reiterated the government’s commitment to removing unqualified teachers from classrooms, a move he described as essential to rescuing Nigeria’s teaching profession from mediocrity and restoring its dignity.
