The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and GMind Academy have commenced discussions on strengthening artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in Nigeria’s education sector, with GMind Academy offering to train 774 AI Adoption Specialists across the country’s 774 local government areas at no cost.
The proposal was presented by the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GMind AI and Founder of GMind Academy, Dr. Success Ojo, during a visit to the Registrar of TRCN, Dr. Ronke Soyombo, in Abuja.
Speaking during the meeting, Dr. Soyombo commended Dr. Ojo’s commitment to advancing education in Nigeria and supporting teachers through innovation and professional development initiatives.
She highlighted ongoing reforms being implemented by the Council to improve teacher quality, professionalism and learner safety nationwide.
According to the Registrar, TRCN has introduced child protection and safeguarding certification into its Professional Qualifying Examination, making safeguarding training compulsory for all prospective teachers seeking registration.
She also disclosed that the Council is working with the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant agencies to establish a criminal records framework aimed at enhancing child safety in schools.
Dr. Soyombo further announced the introduction of a toll-free line to strengthen public access to the Council and enable the reporting of issues relating to teachers and school safety.
On teacher assessment, she said TRCN has upgraded its examination infrastructure, increasing its capacity from about 120 candidates per session at some centres to as many as 5,000 candidates simultaneously through an improved digital testing platform equipped with remote proctoring technology.
The Registrar also revealed that the Council has developed standardised lesson plans through a collaborative process involving leading teachers from both public and private schools across the six geopolitical zones.
The lesson plans, she said, will support teachers while also serving as the foundation for an AI-powered system capable of generating classroom resources.
“AI is here to support teaching, not replace teachers,” she said, noting that while artificial intelligence can improve lesson preparation and differentiated instruction, it cannot replace the human and emotional support teachers provide to learners.
Dr. Soyombo said TRCN is reviewing its professional standards and regulatory framework to reflect emerging realities, including the growing role of artificial intelligence in education.
She added that the Council is also advancing the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway to enable more teachers to meet licensing requirements as Nigeria moves towards stricter enforcement of teacher registration regulations.
Earlier, Dr. Success Ojo commended TRCN for its efforts in teacher registration, licensing, accreditation and continuous professional development.
She also applauded the education reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Education aimed at improving teacher quality, digital competencies and learning outcomes.
According to her, AI readiness represents the next stage in education transformation.
Through GMind Academy’s Certified AI-Ready Teacher (CART) programme, he said educators are being equipped with practical skills in AI-powered teaching, learning, assessment and responsible technology adoption.
Dr. Ojo proposed that teachers who complete the programme should be eligible to earn recognised professional development credits, subject to TRCN approval, to support their continuous professional development requirements.
She further announced that GMind Academy had already graduated 684 AI specialists and was prepared to expand its efforts by training one AI Adoption Specialist in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas free of charge.
The specialists, she said, would serve as local champions supporting teachers, schools and education stakeholders in understanding and applying artificial intelligence safely and effectively.
As part of the initiative, each participant would receive two months of free access to the GMind AI platform for practical learning and experimentation.
“Our vision is simple. Every local government area should have someone equipped to help schools navigate AI,” Dr. Ojo said.
She expressed confidence that collaboration with TRCN would help move AI adoption in education from policy discussions to practical implementation at the grassroots level, ultimately benefiting millions of Nigerian learners.
