TRCN Raises Alarm Over Shortage of Qualified Teachers in Nigeria

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has expressed concern over the shortage of qualified teachers in the country, warning that the gap is a major factor behind the declining standard of education.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Dr. Ronke Soyombo, raised the alarm on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief as part of activities marking the 2025 World Teachers’ Day.

Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration, “Recasting Teaching As A Collaborative Profession,” Soyombo lamented that many teachers currently in classrooms, especially in private schools, lack the required professional qualifications.

“There are many unqualified teachers in the profession. We have those teaching in classrooms but don’t have the teaching qualifications. Again, it is one thing for you to have gone to a teacher’s college, and another thing to be able to break learning down to suit the needs of students,” she explained.

Soyombo, however, said the Council is taking steps to address the situation. She disclosed that TRCN currently has about 1.4 million registered teachers but has set a target of 20 million within the next two years, aided by the digitisation of its registration system.

To bridge the gap, she revealed that the Federal Government, in collaboration with TRCN, has introduced an accelerated Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) programme. The course has been condensed to six months for experienced teachers who lack formal education degrees, allowing them to obtain the necessary qualifications and be fully integrated into the system.

“This will bring a lot of teachers into the line, because people are now eager to come into the profession,” Soyombo said, adding that the Council is also working to upgrade teachers through training resources and collaborative lesson planning.

She emphasised the importance of collaboration in 21st-century education, noting that when teachers work together to plan lessons and share best practices, it enriches the learning process. “Teachers can also go to other schools to see which ones are performing well and replicate those practices in their own schools,” she added.

Soyombo further stressed the need to instill a culture of collaboration among students, saying mixed-ability groupings would help young learners build teamwork and social skills.

Meanwhile, the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, joined in celebrating World Teachers’ Day, describing teachers as “true heroes, shaping minds, nurturing dreams, and guiding generations.” She also called for renewed focus on tackling the global teacher shortage.

Education stakeholders across the country have welcomed TRCN’s interventions, noting that the push to professionalise and expand the teaching workforce is critical to improving learning outcomes in Nigeria.