The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched a Teacher Ethics and Criminal Record Verification Framework, making it compulsory for all teachers in both public and private schools to undergo ethics screening and criminal background checks before being employed.
The policy was unveiled by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on August 25, 2025, during the launch of the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) digital portal and the council’s new strategic vision for the teaching profession.
Dr. Alausa explained that this initiative is part of broad reforms aimed at restoring dignity, professionalism, and accountability within Nigeria’s education sector.
He emphasized that no teacher will be employed without passing ethics screening and criminal background checks, and private school owners are required to verify their teachers’ TRCN registration and ethical clearance.
The new framework is integrated into the TRCN digital portal, providing real-time teacher registration, licensing, and monitoring to ensure compliance.
The system enables school owners, government agencies, and other stakeholders to authenticate teachers’ credentials and adherence to professional standards, helping to combat impersonation, forgery, and recruitment of unqualified individuals.
“This policy will safeguard the integrity of the classroom by ensuring that only individuals of sound moral character and proven ethical conduct are entrusted with nurturing future generations,” stated Minister Alausa.
TRCN Registrar, Dr. Ronke Soyombo, highlighted ongoing education challenges in Nigeria, including that about 30 percent of school-age children cannot read or write.
She noted that the portal includes AI-powered lesson planning tools, criminal record checks, and investigation panels across all states to enhance teacher quality.
Senior Education Adviser at the British High Commission, Ian Attfield, reaffirmed the UK government’s support for Nigeria’s education reforms.
He described Nigeria’s education system as complex but praised the integrated system as a “herculean but achievable” effort to improve teaching quality by combining accountability and incentives.
