The Federal Government has directed that, effective 2027, only secondary schools with duly certified teachers will be accredited as centres for public examinations.

The directive was contained in a memo issued on Thursday by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to the Registrar/Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). It aligns with government policy to strengthen professionalism and restore standards in the teaching sector.

According to the memo, accreditation for both public and private schools to host examinations including the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), National Examinations Council (NECO), and the National Board for Islamic and Arabic Studies (NBIAS) will be tied to teachers’ TRCN certification.

“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,” Alausa stated.

The Minister further directed state governments to ensure compliance in both public and private schools. A monitoring framework has been introduced, requiring schools to achieve at least 75 percent compliance by 2026 and full compliance by 2027.

To aid implementation, Alausa encouraged non-education graduates with at least 12 months of classroom teaching experience to enrol in the National Teachers Institute’s abridged certification programme. The scheme, which runs between three to six months, will enable them to obtain TRCN registration and licensing.

He also stressed the need for widespread sensitisation to avoid disruptions in exam accreditation, reiterating his earlier stance that unqualified teachers must be phased out. In July, during the inauguration of the 5th Governing Council of the TRCN, Alausa had described unqualified teachers as a “threat to the dignity of the profession,” insisting their removal was necessary to restore quality to Nigeria’s classrooms.