UK REMOVES NIGERIA AND GHANA FROM DIRECT TEACHING QUALIFICATION ROUTE

Teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana can no longer apply for Qualified Teacher Status through England’s overseas-trained teacher application route following a change introduced by the United Kingdom Department for Education. The new eligibility rules took effect on September 9, 2026, after the department reviewed the countries whose teachers could continue using the direct QTS application service. India was also removed from the list under the latest changes.

Under the previous arrangement, overseas-trained teachers seeking QTS were generally required to hold a valid passport, an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, recognised professional status as a teacher in the country where they trained and evidence of completing mandatory induction requirements. Their qualifications and professional experience were also assessed before QTS could be awarded. The UK government said eligible countries must have a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional standing and must be able to provide references that meet its verification requirements.

The Department for Education said Nigeria and Ghana were removed after concerns over the reliability of employment references submitted by applicants. It said its data showed that more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers trained in the two countries included work-history references using public email services such as Gmail or Hotmail rather than official school email addresses. According to the department, this requires assessors to spend additional time and resources verifying information supplied by applicants and makes it more difficult to establish that the details are genuine.

The latest rules also removed India, with the department saying the country did not have a national regulator capable of confirming applicants’ professional standing. South Africa is now the only African country included among those whose teachers can use the relevant overseas-trained teacher route, subject to the applicable requirements. Teachers trained in countries including Australia, Canada, the European Economic Area, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States can also apply, while Jamaica, Singapore and South Africa have additional conditions for applicants under the current system.

The change does not amount to a permanent ban on Nigerian or Ghanaian teachers working in England. The UK government said teachers who are no longer eligible for the direct QTS application service can explore alternative routes into the profession, depending on their qualifications and circumstances. The department explained that the purpose of the eligibility requirements is to ensure that information provided by overseas teachers can be properly verified and that those awarded Qualified Teacher Status possess the required skills and experience to teach in English schools.