FG Insists on Certified Teachers for WAEC Accreditation

 

 

FG Insists on Certified Teachers for WAEC Accreditation

 

The Federal Government has directed that only secondary schools with duly certified teachers will be allowed to serve as centres for public examinations from 2027.

 

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this in a memo addressed to the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). He explained that the policy aligns with government’s resolve to restore professionalism and dignity to the teaching profession.

 

According to the directive, accreditation of public and private schools for the conduct of examinations such as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and the School-Based Assessment for Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SAISSCE) will be tied strictly 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 registered and licensed with the TRCN shall be disqualified from serving as an examination centre,” the minister stated.

 

Alausa directed state governments to ensure compliance across public and private schools within their jurisdictions. He added that monitoring would commence immediately, with schools expected to achieve at least 75 per cent compliance by 2026 and full compliance by 2027.

 

To ease the transition, the minister urged non-education graduates with at least one year of teaching experience to enrol in the National Teachers’ Institute for an abridged professional certification programme lasting between three and six months, after which they would qualify for TRCN registration.

 

The minister emphasised the need for urgent sensitisation of stakeholders to prevent disruptions in accreditation for national examinations. He recalled that in July he had warned against retaining unqualified teachers in classrooms, describing their removal as essential to saving Nigeria’s education sector from mediocrity.