The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), the national regulator of the teaching profession, says it uncovered 250 fake teaching certificates during a single state government's recruitment exercise.

The council's registrar and chief executive, Dr Ronke Soyombo, disclosed the figure while monitoring the computer-based Professional Qualifying Examination in Abuja, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, whose report was carried by Peoples Gazette and Political Economist. She said the state, which was not named, had planned to employ about 1,000 teachers.

QR codes on licences

Soyombo said TRCN now issues certificates with embedded QR codes that link to the council's portal, so an employer can scan a document and confirm a teacher's registration before hiring. She described the measures as part of an effort to "flush out quacks from Nigerian classrooms".

The registrar also said the qualifying examination uses randomised questions that differ by qualification, so that candidates holding doctorates, first degrees and Nigeria Certificate in Education awards sitting in the same hall receive different papers.

Licensing deadlines

According to the reports, the federal government wants 75 percent of teachers licensed by the end of 2026 and all teachers certified before they teach by December 2027. About 21,000 candidates are sitting the 2026 examination, with results expected within a week.

Teacher licensing in Nigeria is mandatory for anyone employed to teach, which gives the council a direct role in screening recruits before they reach classrooms. The reports did not say whether the 250 cases had been referred to police or what action the state took against the applicants concerned.

What employers can do

For any school or education authority, the practical lesson is that a paper licence should never be accepted on sight. Scan the QR code or search the regulator's online register directly, match the name and registration number to the applicant's identity documents, and keep a record of the verification result in the personnel file. Where a regulator offers no online check, written confirmation should be sought from the issuing body itself.

Sources

This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.

NigeriaTRCNTeacher RecruitmentFake CertificatesQR Verification

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