Teachers across Nigeria are expressing growing frustration following challenges associated with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria digital registration portal, forcing educators to revert to traditional manual processes.

The online platform, launched in September 2025 amid widespread publicity by the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, was intended to streamline teacher registration, licensing, and certificate printing nationwide.

The initiative, spearheaded by TRCN Registrar Dr Ronke Soyombo, was part of broader reforms aimed at restoring professionalism and dignity to the teaching profession.

Primary and secondary school teachers who spoke with our correspondent on Monday urged the TRCN to urgently fix the registration portal, which they said has caused a significant setback in teacher administration.

A primary school teacher at a Local Education Authority school in Abuja, Femi Daniels, described his frustrations with the system.

“It seems to me it’s not easy to register for TRN. What kind of portal is this? You waste a whole week trying to do one thing and always get the same result. I spent days trying to upload my documents every hour, but it always says ‘you’re not allowed to perform this action’ or ‘try again.’

“I went to Zenith Bank to purchase the form, but it was not available. This means if I want to register, I would have to travel more than 300 km and spend over ₦11,000 on transport.

“They are not making things easy, and that is why some people resort to paying illegally for certificates. By experience, fake certificates are issued. I once scanned a QR code, and behold, the name, registration number, and other details did not match,” he said.

Sadiq Kehinde, a secondary school teacher in Gombe, said, “Officials had promised that the digital platform would eliminate long-standing bureaucratic bottlenecks and allow teachers to complete registration processes from the comfort of their homes. What happened to the millions of Naira invested in creating the portal?”

A secondary school teacher in Kurudu, Abuja, who spoke on condition of anonymity, echoed the concern, noting that delays in registration and certification are already affecting teachers’ promotions, transfers, and professional development.

“Some of us need our certificates for promotion. Now we have to go to banks and some of the banks are telling us that they no longer have the form and that we have to register online,” he said.

Meanwhile, a statement from a coalition of concerned stakeholders in Nigeria reiterated that the portal was part of reforms under Soyombo’s leadership to restore professionalism and integrity in the teaching profession.

According to the group in a statement signed by Haliru Muhammed, the portal has experienced persistent technical failures since January 2026, leaving thousands of teachers nationwide unable to access its services.

As a result, educators have been forced to return to manual registration at state TRCN offices—a process that revives the very delays, paperwork, and administrative hurdles the digital system was meant to eliminate.

“Many affected educators say the situation has brought back the delays and bureaucratic processes that were supposed to be resolved by the digital platform,” the stakeholders’ statement read.

The breakdown comes at a critical time as TRCN continues discussions on its 2026–2028 Strategic Plan, which includes integrating digital tools and artificial intelligence to support teaching and administrative systems across Nigeria.

Stakeholders expressed concern that ongoing technical failures could undermine these modernisation efforts:

“We call on Dr Soyombo-led TRCN to urgently address the technical problems and provide clarity on the future of the portal.

“The credibility of teacher registration processes and the welfare of educators must not be compromised,” the Lagos stakeholders said.

The TRCN was established under the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria Act (2004) to regulate teaching standards, license educators, and maintain professional ethics.

The 2025 launch of the digital portal marked a significant modernisation effort aimed at reducing bureaucracy and increasing transparency in teacher management.

However, recurring technical failures highlight persistent challenges in digital adoption across Nigeria’s public sector, including infrastructure deficits, inconsistent power supply, and insufficient system maintenance.

The Registrar of the TRCN, Soyombo, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report.

Analysts warn that unless the portal’s issues are urgently addressed, the setbacks could affect nationwide teacher credentialing, hinder promotion schedules and risk increasing incidences of fraud in teacher certification—a scenario that undermines efforts to strengthen education quality across Nigeria. (PUNCH)

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