The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, has assured teachers and stakeholders that the council’s digital portal is now fully stable, following a brief disruption in December linked to technical issues with its former service provider.
Registrar of TRCN, Ronke Soyombo, gave the assurance while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
Soyombo addressed concerns raised by some teachers over alleged persistent glitches on the platform, describing such claims as misleading and, in some cases, politically motivated.
She clarified that the outage lasted only one week in December and was swiftly resolved after the council disengaged the affected developer and migrated to a new service provider.
“In December, we had some issues with the developer, so our portal was down for one week. We resolved it and switched to another developer,” she said.
The TRCN boss emphasised that the council remains committed to operational efficiency and revenue generation, noting that it would be counterproductive to schedule professional examinations while operating a faulty system.
“As much as I am an educationist, I also have a responsibility to generate revenue for government. Every agency is expected to remit 50 per cent. I would not announce an examination and have the portal down, that would be counterproductive,” she added.
Soyombo, however, acknowledged that some teachers continue to experience difficulties accessing the portal, largely due to limited digital literacy.
To bridge this gap, she said the council has sustained alternative channels, including physical registration at its state offices nationwide.
“We still have teachers who cannot access the portal because of digital literacy issues. That is why our state offices remain open. At no time in January was the portal down,” she stated.
On inclusivity, particularly for educators in rural areas with limited internet connectivity, the TRCN boss highlighted ongoing interventions such as the deployment of help desk officers in tertiary institutions, mobile outreach programmes in selected states, and targeted sensitisation campaigns in underserved communities.
She added that partnerships with key stakeholders, including the Nigeria Union of Teachers, state commissioners, and education administrators, have been instrumental in expanding access to the council’s services.
“We are not fully there yet—it is still a work in progress. But we are making efforts to ensure inclusivity and reach teachers in rural areas,” she said.
Looking ahead, Soyombo disclosed that the council is set to launch a mobile application by the end of April to further enhance accessibility, while also considering offline integration options.
“By the end of April, we intend to introduce an app that will make access more convenient for users. We will also consider offline integration as suggested,” she noted.
Reaffirming the council’s regulatory mandate, the Registrar stressed that all individuals engaged in teaching, from early childhood to tertiary level, must be duly registered and certified by TRCN.
“Whether you teach children or adults, you must be certified. The minimum qualification is the Nigeria Certificate in Education or a degree with relevant education training such as a postgraduate diploma in education,” she said.
