By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Dr. Ronke Soyombo, has assured teachers and stakeholders that the council’s digital portal is now stable, following a brief disruption in December caused by technical issues with its former service provider.
She stated this while addressing the press in Abuja on Thursday, following concerns raised by some Nigerian teachers over alleged technical issues affecting the digital portal.
Dr Soyombo explained that the downtime lasted for only one week in December and was promptly resolved after the council disengaged the developer responsible and migrated to a new 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 dismissed claims of persistent failures as misleading and politically motivated.
The Registrar stressed that the council remains committed to efficiency and revenue generation, noting that it would be counterproductive to invite teachers for examinations while operating a faulty system.
“As much as I am an educationist, I also have a responsibility to generate revenue for the 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.
She, however, acknowledged that some teachers still face challenges accessing the portal due to limited digital literacy.
To address this, she said TRCN continues to provide alternative channels, including physical registration at state offices across the country.
“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 said.
On inclusivity, particularly for teachers in rural areas with poor internet connectivity, the Registrar stated ongoing efforts to bridge the gap including the deployment of help desk officers in tertiary institutions, mobile outreach in some states, and sensitisation campaigns in underserved communities.
She also said that collaboration with stakeholders such as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), state commissioners, and education administrators has been instrumental in expanding access.
“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 added.
Responding to suggestions on offline integration, Dr Soyombo said the council is exploring the idea but is currently focused on launching a mobile application to improve accessibility.
“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 said.
Speaking on teacher certification, the Registrar reiterated that all individuals engaged in teaching, from early childhood to tertiary level, must be registered and certified by TRCN in line with the council’s mandate.
“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 noted.
