FG to Train 250,000 Teachers Without Teaching Qualifications

The Federal Government has launched a programme to professionally qualify 250,000 serving teachers who are currently teaching without formal professional teaching qualifications.

The initiative, known as the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), is designed to address qualification gaps among teachers and strengthen professional standards across Nigeria’s education system.

The National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, has been selected to coordinate the programme under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education.

Rather than removing teachers from classrooms while they undergo training, the programme will allow eligible participants to continue teaching while acquiring professional qualifications.

The pathway will provide two qualification options. Teachers with degrees in disciplines other than education will be able to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), while those entering through the National Diploma route will follow the Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) pathway.

The programme will combine digital learning, virtual facilitation, assessments and supervised teaching practice. The teaching practice will take place in participants’ existing schools, allowing their classroom performance to be assessed in their normal teaching environment.

The NTI will coordinate curriculum delivery, content management and quality assurance, working with education-sector agencies including the Universal Basic Education Commission, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, National Senior Secondary Education Commission and National Universities Commission.

Preparatory work has already been undertaken, including the development and validation of the PGDE and PDE curricula. About 40 education specialists from universities, colleges of education and relevant government agencies participated in developing the programme’s modules.

The ATPP is expected to run for six months, comprising four months of intensive instruction followed by two months of teaching practice.

The Federal Government said the initiative would provide serving teachers without professional qualifications with a structured and time-bound route towards recognised professional credentials and, where applicable, registration and licensing with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.

The programme is scheduled for launch in October 2026, with the broader ambition of having 250,000 teachers professionally qualified and on the pathway to certification and licensing by 2027.

The initiative is part of wider government efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s education workforce and improve teaching quality by ensuring that teachers already serving in classrooms receive appropriate professional training.