The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has introduced a compulsory ethics and criminal record screening to ensure that all teachers in both public and private schools undergo a comprehensive background check before being employed.
This was made known in an announcement by the National Orientation Agency (NOA), stating that the move was spearheaded by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
The ministry stated that it was aimed at restoring professionalism and accountability in Nigeria’s education system by ensuring only people of “sound moral character” are entrusted with educating students.
According to the NOA, the policy is tagged “Teacher Ethics and Criminal Record Verification Framework,” which will be incorporated into the already existing digital portal of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), adding that it would also help to mitigate certificate forgery and also enable real-time registration and monitoring of teachers.
The TRCN Registrar, Dr. Ronke Soyombo, stated that the digital portal would also improve the quality of teachers posted to schools.