The United Kingdom has excluded Nigeria and Ghana from the list of countries whose educators can qualify for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), a credential required for teaching positions in many English schools. This revision became effective on September 9, as announced by the UK Department for Education (DfE).

The department clarified that it rigorously evaluates overseas teaching credentials and experience to verify that teachers with QTS meet its standards.

To remain eligible, countries must have a national regulatory body that can certify a teacher’s professional credentials and must provide verified references. Nonetheless, the DfE indicated that Nigeria and Ghana did not fulfill the reference submission requirement.

“Our data shows that more than 70% of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria include work history references that use public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than a school’s official email domain,” the department said.

India was also removed because it does not have a national regulator that can confirm teachers’ professional standing. South Africa is now the only African country remaining on the eligible list.

“We must be confident that the information applicants provide is genuine. This helps ensure that overseas teachers awarded qualified teacher status have the skills and experience needed to teach in schools in England,” the department said.

To apply for QTS, teachers need a valid passport, an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, professional recognition as a teacher in their country of training and the required induction for full registration.

Applicants must also show at least nine months of teaching experience after qualifying, with references confirming their work history using a school-domain email address.

The DfE noted that teachers in England are employed by individual schools, so some schools may consider alternative qualification routes, although QTS remains preferred by most schools.

ASA