Shock As 250 Fake Teachers’ Certificates Emerge In State Recruitment Drive

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has uncovered 250 fake teaching certificates during a recruitment exercise conducted by an unnamed state government seeking to employ approximately 1,000 teachers.

The Chief Executive and Registrar of the council, Dr Ronke Soyombo, disclosed this on Thursday, November 12, while monitoring the ongoing computer-based Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) at Redeemer’s TEAP International School in Abuja.

According to information made available to Bush Radio Academy, Soyombo said the discovery was made during the recruitment process, highlighting the growing challenge of fraudulent academic and professional qualifications within the education sector.

To address the problem, she explained that the council had introduced certificates embedded with QR codes, allowing employers to access its online portal and verify applicants’ credentials instantly before offering them employment.

Soyombo also disclosed that TRCN had strengthened the integrity of its qualifying examinations by introducing randomised questions tailored to candidates’ academic qualifications. The arrangement is designed to prevent examination malpractice among candidates with different levels of education, including PhD, first-degree and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) holders.

The registrar further revealed that the Federal Government had established targets to ensure that 75 per cent of teachers nationwide are licensed by the end of 2026, while all individuals entering classrooms must be certified before December 2027.

She stressed that possessing a first-class degree does not automatically qualify an individual to teach, noting that professional competence in teaching methods, child safeguarding and digital literacy are essential requirements for effective classroom delivery.

Soyombo also recalled that previous assessments conducted through the PQE revealed significant weaknesses in mathematics among teachers across the country. She said the findings had prompted the council to develop targeted training programmes in collaboration with relevant education agencies to address the identified gaps.

The TRCN registrar urged candidates sitting for the professional qualifying examination to avoid examination malpractice and fraudulent shortcuts, emphasising the importance of professional standards and competence in the teaching profession.