Nigeria Discovers 250 People Using Fake Teaching Certificates

(TRCN. Photo by Punch News)

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, says it uncovered 250 fake teaching certificates during a recruitment drive.

The discovery has led to new QR coded certificates and tougher digital checks.

The council's Chief Executive and Registrar, Dr Ronke Soyombo, made the announcement while visiting the ongoing computer based Professional Qualifying Examination at Redeemer's TEAP International School in Abuja on Thursday.

She said the aim is to push fake teachers out of classrooms.

The fakes came up during a hiring exercise in which an unnamed state wanted to recruit about 1000 teachers.

Soyombo warned that forged credentials are a serious danger to education standards.

Under the new system, certificates carry QR codes that link employers straight to the council's portal, so they can verify a teacher before hiring.

The council has also started giving candidates randomised questions based on their qualification level, so PhD holders, first degree holders and NCE holders sitting side by side cannot cheat off each other.

The Federal Government has set targets for teacher licensing.

By the end of 2026, 75 per cent of teachers should be licensed, and by December 2027, all teachers should be certified before entering a classroom.

Soyombo thanked the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for backing the push.

She stressed that a first class degree alone is not enough to teach without proof of skills in teaching methods, child protection and digital literacy.

Past assessments also showed that many teachers are weak in maths, so the council is working with education agencies on targeted training.

Registrations rose from 13000 in May 2025 to 26000 in November 2025.

About 21000 candidates are sitting this year's exam, and they should get their results digitally within a week.

Soyombo urged candidates to avoid cheating and shortcuts and said the council will keep up its crackdown.

Some candidates praised the exam as well run.

One said the questions helped her understand child protection and ICT security better.

Another suggested that exam slips should show the assigned centre and schedule directly, so candidates do not have to rely on WhatsApp groups.

The centre's CBT coordinator, Ann Ogbu, said the school has backup power, including a 60kVA solar system and a 250kVA generator, plus 20 spare computers out of its 220 systems.

The Garki based centre is expanding to 320 computers.