Concerns over the international recognition of Nigerian qualifications have intensified following the United Kingdom’s decision to remove Nigeria from the application route for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England.

The development has prompted the Federal Government to highlight measures being taken to strengthen the authentication of Nigerian academic credentials and make it easier for foreign governments, institutions and employers to verify certificates issued by accredited institutions in the country.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said on Friday that Nigeria had already digitised its certificate authentication and verification process, allowing authorised users to establish the legitimacy and source of qualifications presented by Nigerians.

Ahmad, who spoke at a briefing ahead of the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration and President’s Teachers’ and Schools Excellence Awards symposium in Abuja, said the government was concerned about the impact of fraudulent claims on Nigerians with genuine qualifications.

Her comments followed the UK Department for Education’s September 9, 2026 decision to remove Nigeria and Ghana from the QTS application route, amid concerns over the verification of work references submitted by applicants from the two countries.

The UK government reportedly said more than 70 per cent of applications from Nigeria and Ghana contained work-history references using public email addresses such as Gmail and Hotmail, rather than official school email domains, raising concerns over the ease of verification.

Reacting to the development, Ahmad said Nigeria had not been formally notified by the UK government about the reported restriction.

“In terms of the banning of Nigeria and Ghana, I would love to say that UK is yet to officially notify Nigeria with regard to that ban. We had it over the media and we also heard it over the media,” she said.

The minister said the government had, however, moved ahead with measures aimed at addressing concerns surrounding the verification of Nigerian qualifications.

“Notwithstanding, we have right now automated the department for ease of reference. In case anybody wants to verify the qualification of any person, Nigeria is digitised now. You can go online and be able to verify, so that you can ensure that this is really a certificate that the person is claiming, belongs to him, and also belongs to an accredited institution,” Ahmad said.

She said the digital system would enable foreign authorities and other authorised users to independently establish the authenticity and source of certificates issued in Nigeria.

“There are some of these issues that are leading to certification by other countries because of some few individuals who are claiming bogus certification, and that will affect those that have authentic certification,” the minister said.

Ahmad added: “As a country, we have already taken that measure to ensure that it is easy for other countries to verify the source of certificates in Nigeria.”

The QTS decision has renewed scrutiny of the systems used to authenticate Nigerian academic and professional credentials internationally, particularly as increasing numbers of Nigerian teachers and other professionals seek employment and professional recognition abroad.

The minister said the Federal Government was determined to ensure that the actions of individuals presenting fraudulent credentials did not undermine the international standing of Nigerians with genuine qualifications.

Ahmad disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education had, for the first time, digitised the selection process for the 2026 World Teachers’ Day and President’s Teachers’ and Schools Excellence Awards.

She said the measure was introduced in line with African Union guidelines to strengthen safety, accountability and traceability in the selection of award recipients.

The 2026 celebration is themed, “Transforming the Teaching Profession for Africa’s Future,” with emphasis on innovation, mobility, artificial intelligence, inclusion and professional excellence.

Ahmad said the 14 awardees for the 2026 World Teachers’ Day and PTSEA awards had emerged, adding that the first, second and third-best teachers would receive cars, while the best Federal Unity College would receive a bus.

Other award recipients would receive laptops, while teachers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are expected to participate in the celebration, including a march-past featuring the respective state flags.

The minister commended government agencies, state governments, organisations and individuals supporting the annual celebration and recognition of teachers, while calling for sustained media coverage of education issues and the importance of teachers to national development.