TRCN Unveils Global Teacher Mobility Plan, Tightens Licensing, to Bar Pedophiles from Nigerian Classrooms

–   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 compulsory competency areas in the Professional Qualifying Examination alongside foundational literacy, foundational mathematics, digital literacy and pedagogy.

Soyombo further disclosed that the Council is reviewing Nigeria’s Teachers’ Standards and Code of Conduct to reflect current realities, while mandatory continuous professional development would become more structured through accredited training providers.

She urged school owners to invest consistently in teacher training, insisting that capacity building must become a continuous process rather than occasional workshops.

According to her, “Technology will never replace a great teacher, but a teacher equipped with technology will undoubtedly transform the world.”

Speaking earlier, Chairman of the occasion and Co-founder and Pioneer Chief Executive Officer of GTBank Plc, Mr. Fola Adeola, said digital competence had become the foundation of effective teaching in the 21st century.

He observed that “today’s learners already operate comfortably within the digital ecosystem, using artificial intelligence, online platforms and search engines to acquire knowledge even before teachers complete classroom explanations.”

According to him, “teachers who fail to embrace digital tools risk losing relevance, not because students disrespect them, but because they are unable to effectively guide learners through a rapidly evolving technological world.”

He identified credibility, opportunity and equity as the three major reasons teachers must embrace digital literacy, arguing that digital skills allow teachers to personalise learning, expose students to global opportunities and help bridge the digital divide for disadvantaged learners.

Adeola therefore called for sustained investments in teacher training, institutional support and the courage among educators to embrace lifelong learning instead of resisting technological change.

Also speaking, Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, said the success of any digital education policy depends largely on the preparedness of teachers rather than the availability of technology alone.

According to him, “classrooms filled with computers and smart devices would remain ineffective if teachers lacked the competence and confidence to deploy them meaningfully.”

He noted that while many Nigerian students are already digital natives, teachers must intentionally develop digital competencies to remain effective classroom facilitators.

“The learners are already digitally ready. Many of them are even more technologically savvy than their teachers. The responsibility of the teacher now is to guide them towards using technology productively,” he said.

Arigbabu disclosed that Ogun State had become one of Nigeria’s leading examples of digital transformation in education through deliberate investment in teacher capacity development.

He revealed that the state had trained about 4,750 teachers under the globally recognised IC3 Internet and Computing Core Certification programme, while more than 150 teachers had already become Microsoft Certified Educators through its partnership with ReadManna.

According to him, “the state Ministry of Education has also become an authorised international testing centre, enabling teachers to obtain globally recognised certifications without leaving the state.”

The commissioner explained that Ogun’s digital transformation extends far beyond teacher certification. 

He said the state has deployed an Artificial Intelligence-powered teaching platform known as OneLearn, through which teachers now prepare lesson notes digitally using the national curriculum, while learners can access instructional materials from school or home.

“Our eventual aim is that teachers will enter classrooms without chalk or marker, while learners will also come without exercise books or textbooks. Everything will be driven digitally through AI-powered platforms,” he said.

He added that the digital platform automatically generates schemes of work, lesson plans and teaching resources based on the approved national curriculum, ensuring uniformity and improving education quality across urban and rural schools.

According to him, the initiative has significantly improved equity in education because teachers in remote communities now have access to the same quality teaching resources available in schools located in major cities.

Arigbabu further explained that Ogun State had established a network of OneLearn Ambassadors; experienced teachers who train their colleagues on digital instruction and provide continuous support across schools.

The commissioner also highlighted broader digital reforms introduced by the state government, including learner identification numbers, online report cards, digital school management systems and a comprehensive education data platform that tracks enrolment, infrastructure, teacher deployment and learner performance.

According to him, the platform has improved planning, enhanced transparency and helped eliminate examination malpractice and illegal registrations.

He revealed that the state recently blocked more than 40,000 illegal examination candidates through its digital verification system, adding that the Federal Ministry of Education had adopted aspects of Ogun’s digital education model as a national reference point.

“We cannot continue making education decisions without reliable data. Technology has enabled us to know our learners, monitor schools properly and make informed policy decisions,” he said.

Earlier, Founder of ReadManna Empowerment Initiative, Mrs. Edna Agusto, urged teachers to embrace internationally recognised digital certifications instead of relying on unverified ICT training programmes that merely issue certificates of attendance.

She lamented that many individuals without recognised qualifications continue to offer ICT training despite lacking globally accepted curricula.

According to her, certifications from organisations such as Microsoft, Adobe and IC3 are recognised worldwide and equip teachers with skills that improve employability both within and outside Nigeria.

She disclosed that “ReadManna has certified about 50,000 students nationwide since 2009 through Microsoft Office Specialist programmes and has consistently produced Nigerian representatives who rank among the world’s top performers at international Microsoft competitions.”

Agusto stressed that the conference was established because many students have become more technologically advanced than the teachers instructing them.

“Our children are already digital. If teachers are not digitally equipped, they cannot effectively guide them. We must ensure teachers acquire globally recognised digital skills so they can prepare Nigerian children for a competitive global economy,” she said.

The two-day conference also featured masterclasses, exhibitions, technology demonstrations and internationally recognised ICT certification sessions designed to equip Nigerian teachers with practical digital skills required for modern classrooms.