Nigeria’s push to professionalise teaching is raising concerns about whether the country has enough certified educators to meet the requirements without worsening existing teacher shortages.
According to The Guardian, Nigeria has an estimated four million teachers, but data from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) showed that only about 1.61 million had been certified as of June 2026.
The government is also pursuing an Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway designed to help about 250,000 serving teachers obtain recognised professional qualifications without leaving their classrooms. The National Teachers’ Institute is coordinating the initiative, which is expected to use a six-month training programme combining instruction and supervised teaching practice.
However, the challenge extends beyond certification. A 2025 report by the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership highlighted persistent teacher shortages, uneven distribution across states, poor welfare and difficulties retaining educators, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
While professional certification could improve teaching standards and accountability, experts have also called for better salaries, improved working conditions and stronger recruitment and retention policies.
The central question remains whether Nigeria can enforce higher professional standards while ensuring that schools have enough qualified teachers to educate the country’s growing student population.