The Federal Government has launched a new digital platform to manage teacher registration, certification, and professional development across Nigeria, describing the move as a decisive step toward fixing long-standing gaps in the education sector.
Unveiling the initiative in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) developed the portal to centralise and streamline teacher management nationwide. The platform will handle licensing and renewals, schedule examinations, track professional development, and serve as a national database for teacher performance and career progression.
According to Alausa, the reforms go beyond technology and are anchored on a strategic framework that emphasises professionalisation, digitalisation, accountability, equity, and alignment with global standards. A key policy is the Teacher Ethics and Criminal Record Verification Framework, which will be mandatory for all educators. “This is not punitive; it is protective. It is about safeguarding our children and upholding the moral integrity of our classrooms,” he said.
Private school owners will also be required to confirm the TRCN registration and ethical clearance of their teachers through the portal’s secure verification system.
TRCN Registrar, Dr. Ronke Soyombo, noted that digitising the council’s operations is part of her 100-day action plan. With the new portal, teachers can complete registration, check results, and print certificates remotely without visiting TRCN offices. She added that the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) has been streamlined from 23 subjects into five core areas—foundational mathematics, literacy, digital literacy, safeguarding, and pedagogy—and that an AI-powered lesson-plan generator will launch in October to provide contextualised teaching materials.
Dr. Patrick Adeleye, CEO of TeckPlus Digital Solutions—the firm that built the system—said the project began 20 months ago to address poor teacher data management. Previously, there were no accurate figures on the number of teachers, how many were certified, or who was qualified to be in the classroom, a gap he said undermined learning outcomes.
International partners at the launch welcomed the development. The British Council’s Director of Programmes, Chikodi Onyemerela, described it as a milestone in education reform, while Ian Attfield, Senior Education Adviser at the British High Commission, noted that improved data management would help motivate teachers.
Mohammed Isa, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, urged that the portal include accessibility features such as screen readers, sign language tools, and digital braille. He said this would align with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and ensure inclusivity for all learners.