Prof. Olusegun Ajiboye, TRCN Registrar, said a Southwest survey found that 70% of teachers are unqualified. “Many Nigerian private school teachers are unqualified. Ajiboye said unqualified teachers cheat students and the school system as a whole.
Stakeholders observed that unqualified teachers have traditionally hampered student learning. They queried why the government, which made the Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) the minimum prerequisite for teaching, hired untrained instructors. They also criticized the incapacity of some teachers to train or obtain certified, as well as school owners who prefer secondary school leavers to maximize earnings. Former principal Mr. Ademola Okunade stated that states' Ministries of Education fail to monitor and supervise the country's educational system.

He said this is why private schools in the zone hire untrained teachers. Dr. Florence Ojewola, a Guidance and Counseling lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), said many Southwest private schools hire quacks and offer them low wages. She noted that even qualified ones deserve better pay since some with university degrees get N15,000 monthly. “Ministry non-supervision frees private schools. Without proper oversight, anyone can open a school.

“Also, supervisors complain of no vehicles for school visits. How would Akure residents oversee an Ikare school without a vehicle? She continued, "They just use the school owner's information instead of doing an on-site assessment."
Ojewola suggested monitoring and supervising private school educational programs in all southwest states to advance the teaching profession.

She recommended that private schools require TRCN-registered teachers. “Before anybody can be employed as a teacher, there are some criteria that they should be registered with the TRCN but in private schools, none will ask for such and it must be made mandatory,” she added. Dr. Akintola Olaitan, a school owner, said instructors' problems go beyond lack of qualifications. He said many Nigerian teachers have never been trained and use antiquated pedagogical equipment.

“Ajiboye's revelation is particularly scary because he was referring to teachers in private schools, where, at least in theory, instruction and teaching facilities are better than in public schools. What should public schools expect if 70% of private school teachers are unqualified? The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) stated that some teachers are unqualified since they have not had training or a degree or professional certificate in teaching.

Mr. Akintoye Hassan, Lagos State NUT chairman, highlighted that most private schools function in unconducive circumstances and cannot hire skilled teachers. He said most private schools hire unqualified teachers to maximize profit and minimize cost.
“How many private schools can pay teachers? These schools always hire unqualified teachers to maximize profit. Thus, a school certificate holder without five credits teaches. “Unqualified teachers teach students who underperform academically and in the labor market.

“From the admission process, they cannot compete in meeting the minimum basis in tertiary institutions in the country and abroad. "That means the beginning of their poor output in terms of academic capacity and of course, their ability to secure fulfilling jobs," Akintoye said. An anonymous public school principal warned unqualified teachers influence students' futures and performance.

She said unqualified private school teachers are harming all exams.She asked how a school certificate holder can teach SS3 pupils and expect good results. She said that requiring private schools to hire qualified teachers will help solve the exam performance issue.
Dr. Joshua Akinrefon, an educationist and certified teacher, condemned the abolition of Nigeria's Teachers Training College (TTC) system, claiming it was the only place to learn how to teach.

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Akinrefon criticized the Federal Government's TTC phaseout. Haruna Danjuma, National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) president, said private schools may hire experienced and mature OND and school certificate holders. He advised those teachers to get TRCN certification or a postgraduate education degree.
Mr. Orji Kanu, president of Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), said the organisation is in talks with TRCN to ensure low-cost private school teachers are TRCN-certified. "I commend TRCN for regulating the teaching profession, but we must not make an issue with those teaching in private schools who are not qualified," he stated. They work to avoid stealing. They shouldn't teach without a license.

“Qualification is not measured by results. Nigerians are excessively certificate-conscious, thus powerful, strong, and competent people are ignored. 2007 research revealed a lot. That research indicated that qualified public school teachers could not create kids with good learning outcomes, unlike low-cost private school teachers.

“So, in this case, we are first human before becoming teachers, so the government should find a way to help teachers who are not yet professionals but already in the system get certified.

“Teaching is a passion, when we were in secondary school, we were teaching some of our classmates and delivering better than some of our teachers, so we just need to encourage those people to develop themselves and get the necessary certification. At this point, we need to sit down and organize our resources to address our problems as a people.

Kanu said AFED had met with TRCN on what to do and is working with University of Lagos and University of Buckingham to train and improve instructors. Stakeholders have urged government and education agencies to curb the private school trend. Akinrefon noted that private school registration requires instructor qualifications.

The Ministry of Education should visit schools after requesting teacher qualifications. Do school officials visit approved schools? He noted that educationist training does not make one a teacher without the professional test.

It's like a lawyer graduating from university without law school. They cannot practice. A college of education certificate, NCE, or bachelors in education does not qualify you to teach. TRCN and professional exams are required. That makes you a teacher.
Dr. Mikailu Ibrahim, FCDO Education Adviser, acknowledged that some private school teachers are qualified despite the assumption that 70% are unqualified.

"Private schools are different," he remarked. British and American schools must have qualified teachers. Nigeria has low-cost private schools. Unqualified professors teach these schools.
From 2015 to 2018, the British aid team identified and supported low-cost private schools in Lagos. Only 4,000 of Lagos' 12,000 schools were government-registered. This means there are two times more unregistered schools than registered ones.
Parents don't know if these schools are registered. These schools are typically underfunded and understaffed. Ibrahim said most schools don't train their teachers because they think they'll leave.