FULL LIST: UK removes Nigeria, Ghana from teacher qualification route
The United Kingdom Department for Education has excluded teachers trained in Nigeria, Ghana and India from using the route to apply for Qualified Teacher Status in England. The change took effect on September 9, 2026, according to updated guidance posted by the DfE and sighted by PUNCH Online on Tuesday. QTS is the professional teaching Read More:…
The UK Department for Education has removed teachers trained in Nigeria, Ghana and India from using the "Apply for Qualified Teacher Status in England" service. The change, effective September 9, 2026, follows updated guidance posted by the DfE. QTS is the professional teaching qualification for teachers in England and is recognized by many schools in the country.
The decision came after data revealed high rejection rates for applications from teachers in Nigeria and Ghana, with 364 and 196 applications resulting in QTS, respectively, out of over 1,100 total applications. The DfE stated that more than 70% of applications from teachers in these countries included work history references using public email addresses, making it difficult to verify information provided in applications.
Teachers no longer eligible for the QTS application service can explore other routes into teaching in England.
Written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
