The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has uncovered 250 forged teaching certificates during a recruitment exercise conducted by an unnamed state government seeking to employ about 1,000 teachers.

The Registrar and Chief Executive of TRCN, Dr Ronke Soyombo, disclosed this on Thursday while monitoring the ongoing computer-based Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) at Redeemer’s TEAP International School in Abuja.

Soyombo explained that the discovery highlighted the growing challenge of unqualified individuals attempting to secure teaching positions with fraudulent academic credentials.

She warned that the circulation of fake certificates posed a serious threat to the quality of education in the country, stressing the need to eliminate unqualified personnel from Nigerian classrooms.

To address the problem, the council has introduced QR-coded certificates that allow employers to verify the authenticity of teachers’ credentials directly through its online portal before offering them employment.

The registrar also disclosed that TRCN had strengthened its examination procedures by introducing randomised questions tailored to candidates’ different academic qualifications.

According to her, the system is designed to prevent examination malpractice among candidates holding PhD degrees, first degrees and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) qualifications.

She further revealed that the Federal Government had established a target of ensuring that 75 per cent of teachers obtain professional licences by the end of 2026, while all teachers must be certified before entering classrooms by December 2027.

Soyombo commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for supporting the mandatory certification initiative, noting that possessing a first-class degree alone does not automatically qualify an individual to teach.

She explained that professional teaching requires demonstrated competence in pedagogy, child safeguarding and digital literacy.

The TRCN boss also disclosed that previous assessments through the Professional Qualifying Examination had exposed significant weaknesses in mathematics among teachers across the country, prompting the council to develop targeted training programmes in collaboration with relevant education agencies.

On the council’s digital registration reforms, she revealed that the number of registered candidates increased from 13,000 in May 2025 to 26,000 in November 2025.

She added that approximately 21,000 candidates were participating in the 2026 professional qualifying examination nationwide, with results expected to be released digitally within one week.

Soyombo urged candidates to avoid examination malpractice and fraudulent shortcuts, assuring that the council would sustain its efforts to protect the integrity of the teaching profession and improve educational standards.

Some candidates who participated in the examination described the computer-based exercise as well organised.

A candidate, Celestina Adejo, said the examination helped strengthen her understanding of child safeguarding and information and communications technology security.

Similarly, a Nigerian Navy Education Officer, Ebi Mustapha, and Esther Ali, a teacher with 27 years of classroom experience, said they participated in the examination to validate their professional competence and encouraged other teachers to obtain the required certification.

Another candidate, Benjamin Edet, suggested that examination slips should contain details of assigned centres and schedules to prevent delays associated with accessing information through WhatsApp groups and external links.

Meanwhile, the CBT Coordinator and ICT Administrator at the examination centre, Mrs Ann Ogbu, disclosed that the facility deployed a 60KVA solar system, a 250KVA backup generator and 20 standby computers from its 220 available systems to ensure a smooth examination process.

Ogbu added that the school, located in Garki, Abuja, was expanding its computer capacity to 320 systems after successfully conducting demonstration tests with the TRCN technical team to guarantee stable server connectivity.

She noted that the institution’s experience in hosting major examinations for TRCN, WAEC, NECO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflected its commitment to providing modern ICT infrastructure for educational assessments.