Schools Without Qualified Teachers Risk Losing WAEC and NECO Accreditation – FG

The Federal Government has issued a directive mandating that all secondary schools, both public and private, must ensure their teachers are properly certified or risk losing accreditation to conduct public examinations.

The announcement was made in a memo by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, addressed to the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). According to the directive, beginning in 2027, accreditation of schools for national examinations such as WASSCE, NECO, NABTEB, and NBIAS will be tied strictly to teachers’ registration and licensing with TRCN.

Dr. Alausa explained that the policy is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen professionalism in Nigeria’s education sector.

“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 TRCN will be disqualified from serving as an examination centre,” he said.

He further urged state governments to take the directive seriously and ensure compliance in both public and private schools under their jurisdiction. To achieve this, schools are expected to meet a minimum compliance rate of 75 percent by 2026 and full compliance by 2027.

In recognition of the challenges that may arise, the Minister encouraged teachers who are non-education graduates but possess at least 12 months of classroom experience to enroll in the National Teachers Institute (NTI). Through the NTI’s abridged professional certification programme, which runs for three to six months, such teachers will be able to qualify for TRCN registration and licensing.

The government also emphasized the importance of creating awareness among school owners, administrators, and stakeholders to avoid disruption in the accreditation of examination centres nationwide.

By enforcing this policy, the Federal Government aims to ensure that only qualified and certified professionals are entrusted with educating secondary school students, thereby raising the quality of teaching and learning across the country.