The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) says it has uncovered 250 fake teaching certificates during a recruitment exercise, prompting the rollout of Quick Response (QR)-coded certificates and stricter digital verification. The Chief Executive and Registrar of TRCN, Dr Ronke Soyombo, disclosed the discovery while monitoring the ongoing computer-based Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) at Redeemer's TEAP International School, Abuja, on Thursday. She said the council made the finding while an unidentified state was seeking to employ about 1,000 teachers.
Soyombo warned that forged credentials posed a grave threat to the nation's education standards. To curb the circulation of fake certificates, TRCN now issues certificates embedded with QR codes that link employers directly to the council's portal for instant authentication before recruitment. The council has also tightened examination integrity by deploying randomised, qualification-differentiated questions, so that PhD, first-degree and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) holders sitting side by side cannot engage in malpractice.S1
Soyombo noted that the Federal Government has set a strict deadline for 75 per cent of teachers to be licensed by the end of 2026, and for 100 per cent to be certified before entering any classroom by December 2027. Commending the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for backing the mandatory certification drive, she stressed that a first-class degree alone does not qualify an individual to teach without proven competence in pedagogy, child safeguarding and digital literacy. She also disclosed that previous PQE assessments exposed widespread weaknesses in mathematics among teachers nationwide, prompting the council to design targeted training interventions with relevant education agencies.S1
The council's digital reforms have boosted registration from 13,000 in May 2025 to 26,000 in November 2025, and 21,000 candidates are currently sitting the 2026 examination nationwide, with results expected digitally within one week. Soyombo urged candidates to shun malpractice and fraudulent shortcuts, reiterating that TRCN would sustain its digital clampdown to protect Nigerian schoolchildren and raise teaching standards.S1
