The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has uncovered 250 fake teaching certificates during a state recruitment exercise, prompting the rollout of QR-coded certificates and stricter digital verification measures.

The Chief Executive and Registrar of TRCN, Dr Ronke Soyombo, disclosed this while monitoring the ongoing computer-based Professional Qualifying Examination in Abuja.

She said the discovery was made during a recruitment process in which an unidentified state sought to employ about 1,000 teachers.

Soyombo warned that forged credentials posed a serious threat to education standards in the country.

To curb the circulation of fake certificates, the council now issues certificates embedded with QR codes that link employers directly to the TRCN portal for instant authentication before recruitment.

She added that the Federal Government has set a deadline to ensure 75 per cent of teachers are licensed by the end of 2026, and that all teachers are fully certified before entering any classroom by December 2027.

The measures form part of broader efforts to eliminate quackery and raise professional standards in Nigerian classrooms.