The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has uncovered 250 fake teaching certificates during a recruitment exercise involving approximately 1,000 prospective teachers in an unnamed state.
The discovery has raised fresh concerns about the use of fraudulent academic credentials to secure teaching positions in Nigerian schools.
The council’s Registrar and Chief Executive, Dr Ronke Soyombo, disclosed this on Thursday, November 12, 2026, while monitoring the ongoing computer-based Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) at Redeemer’s TEAP International School in Abuja.
According to Soyombo, the discovery highlights the need for stricter measures to prevent individuals with forged qualifications from entering the teaching profession.
In response, the council has introduced certificates embedded with Quick Response (QR) codes, which allow employers to verify teachers’ credentials directly through the TRCN online portal before offering them employment.
The system is expected to make certificate authentication easier, reduce recruitment fraud and prevent unqualified individuals from gaining access to classrooms.
Soyombo also revealed that TRCN has strengthened its examination process by introducing randomised questions tailored to candidates’ academic qualifications, including PhD, first-degree and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) holders, to discourage examination malpractice.
She further disclosed that the Federal Government is targeting 75 per cent of Nigerian teachers to be professionally licensed by the end of 2026, while all teachers are expected to obtain the required certification before entering classrooms by December 2027.
The registrar stressed that possessing a university degree alone does not automatically make someone a qualified teacher, noting that professional teaching also requires competence in pedagogy, child safeguarding and digital literacy.
The council said it would continue strengthening its verification and certification processes to improve professional standards and protect the quality of education in Nigeria.
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