– All teachers to acquire TRCN licence by end of 2027 as six-month fast-track programme begins – Ogun showcases digital education model, trains 4,750 teachers in global ICT certifications – ReadManna pushes international digital certifications to prepare Nigerian teachers for global opportunities Sunday Ehigiator The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has unveiled several reforms aimed at transforming the teaching profession, including plans to make Nigerian teachers globally competitive through international licensing partnerships, enforce compulsory professional licensing nationwide, and establish a criminal records database to permanently prevent convicted sexual offenders from working in schools. Registrar and Chief Executive of TRCN, Dr Aderonke Soyombo, disclosed this yesterday, while delivering her keynote address at the 4th Digital Educators Conference and Exhibition held at the Ecobank Pan African Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The conference, organised by ReadManna Empowerment Initiative (REI), brought together policymakers, regulators, school owners, teachers, education technology experts and development partners under the theme, ‘Building EdTech Capacity for Educators’. Addressing participants, Soyombo said the teaching profession in Nigeria was undergoing one of its biggest reforms in decades, with the federal government determined to raise standards, improve professionalism and ensure teachers remain relevant in an increasingly technology-driven world. A major highlight of the reforms, she said, is Nigeria’s admission into both the African Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) and the International Forum of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (IFTRA), opening a pathway for Nigerian teaching licenses to receive wider international recognition. According to her, discussions are already underway to ensure that teachers licensed by the TRCN can eventually secure employment in countries belonging to the international regulatory network, including the United Kingdom and Australia. “For the first time, Nigeria is now part of IFTRA. We have countries like the United Kingdom and Australia there, and what we are working towards is ensuring that your license can enable you to work in any of these countries,” she said. She explained that Nigeria’s recent reforms had begun attracting continental attention, revealing that officials from Ghana recently visited the TRCN to understudy the country’s teacher regulation framework. According to her, Nigeria is increasingly becoming a reference point for teacher regulation in Africa because of the reforms currently being implemented under the Federal Ministry of Education. Soyombo also announced that by the end of 2027, every teacher in Nigeria would be expected to possess a valid TRCN license, saying the era of unlicensed classroom teaching was gradually coming to an end. She clarified that “teachers would only obtain certification once after passing the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE), while professional licenses would thereafter be renewed every three years upon evidence of continuous professional development.” To ensure that graduates already teaching without education qualifications are not left behind, the TRCN boss unveiled a new Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway, a six-month programme being developed in collaboration with the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI). “The initiative, expected to commence by September, will enable graduates teaching in reputable schools without education degrees to earn a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), qualify for the TRCN examination and obtain professional licenses.” She described the programme as a practical solution to Nigeria’s shortage of professionally qualified teachers and another major step towards fully professionalising the teaching profession. Beyond licensing, Soyombo announced tougher measures to safeguard schoolchildren by eliminating sexual offenders from classrooms across the country. She revealed that the TRCN had commenced collaboration with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to establish a national criminal records database that would screen teachers before they are employed. According to her, “the initiative is designed to stop the practice whereby individuals accused or convicted of sexual abuse simply move from one school to another without detection. “We keep moving paedophiles from one school to another. That must stop. TRCN is working with the Inspector-General of Police to establish a criminal records database, and if you have a criminal record relating to sexual abuse, you will not be able to work in any Nigerian school,” she declared. She noted that safeguarding has now become one of the five c
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