Get Certified Teachers Or Lose WASSCE, Other Accreditations, Federal Government Warns Secondary Schools

The Federal Government has issued a stern warning to secondary schools across the country, insisting that only institutions with certified teachers will be allowed to serve as examination centres from 2027.

The directive was contained in a memo issued on Thursday by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).

Alausa explained that the move was in line with government policy to strengthen professionalism in the teaching profession.

“Accordingly, effective from 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,” the minister said.

The minister added that accreditation of both public and private schools for the conduct of public examinations, including WASSCE, NECO, NABTEB and the National Business and Innovation Skills Examinations (NBIAS), would henceforth be strictly tied to teachers’ TRCN certification.

To ensure compliance, he directed state governments to put necessary measures in place within the next two years. Schools are expected to achieve a minimum compliance rate of 75 per cent by 2026 and full compliance by 2027.

Alausa also announced a pathway for teachers without education degrees but with at least one year of classroom teaching experience. He advised them to enrol in the National Teachers Institute (NTI) to undergo an abridged professional certification programme lasting between three and six months, after which they would qualify for TRCN registration and licensing.

He urged those affected to give the directive “the highest priority” and called for wide sensitisation of stakeholders to avoid disruptions in accreditation for public examinations.

The latest directive follows Alausa’s earlier stance in July, when he declared that unqualified teachers must be removed from Nigerian classrooms. Speaking at the inauguration of the 5th Governing Council of TRCN, he said, “Unqualified teachers need to be sacked to rescue Nigeria’s teaching profession from mediocrity and restore its lost dignity.”