I write to inform you that, in line with the policy directive of the Federal Ministry of Education towards strengthening professionalism in the teaching profession, the accreditation of Private Secondary Schools for the conduct of public examinations; West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), National Business and Technical. Examinations Board (NABTEB), National Examinations Council (NECO) and National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), shall henceforth be contingent on the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) certification of teachers engaged in such schools.
2. Specifically, 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 by the TRCN will be disqualified from serving as centres for the conduct of these examinations. Proprietors are therefore enjoined to ensure that their teaching staff obtain the requisite TRCN certification within the stipulated period of two (2) years from the date of this directive. However, compliance with this directive shall be monitored, with schools expected to achieve a minimum compliance rate of 75% by 2026 and full compliance of 100% by 2027.
3. To facilitate compliance, teachers who are non-education graduates but have acquired not less than twelve (12) months of classroom teaching experience are encouraged to take advantage of the abridged professional certification programme with at National Teachers’ Institute. The programme provides short courses of between three (3) to six (6) months duration, after which participants will qualify for registration and licensing as professional teachers.
4. The Ministry counts on your full cooperation in ensuring strict compliance with this requirement across all member schools, in the overall interest of improving quality assurance and raising the standard of teaching and learning in Nigeria.
