The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has expressed grave concern over the growing number of unqualified teachers across schools in the country, describing it as a major factor undermining the quality of education nationwide.
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Dr Ronke Soyombo, made this known on Monday while speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, in commemoration of the 2025 World Teachers’ Day.
Speaking on this year’s theme, “Recasting Teaching as a Collaborative Profession,” Dr Soyombo decried the prevalence of untrained teachers, particularly in private schools, adding that the situation continues to weaken Nigeria’s educational foundation.
“There are many unqualified teachers in the profession. We have people teaching in classrooms without the required qualifications, especially in private schools,” she lamented.
According to her, the problem is compounded by individuals with genuine passion for teaching who are unable to obtain professional certification due to a lack of formal qualifications.
She revealed that the Council is already working on an accelerated programme aimed at bridging the gap by ensuring more teachers are properly trained and licensed to meet national standards.
“We currently have about 1.4 million teachers registered with the TRCN, and our target in the next two years is to reach 20 million. We have digitised our systems to make registration more seamless,” she stated.
Dr Soyombo also emphasised the need for greater collaboration among educators, urging teachers to adopt collective lesson planning as a way to enhance creativity and improve learning outcomes.
“Every teacher has a unique gift, but when teachers plan lessons together, they produce richer and more impactful teaching outcomes than when they work in isolation,” she noted.
The TRCN boss reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to sanitising the teaching profession, stressing that only qualified and certified teachers would be permitted to practise in the near future.
