NEWS
U.K Tightens QTS Rules, Removes Nigeria and Ghana From Direct Application Route
— Drops Nigeria, Ghana & India Trained-teachers From QTS-eligibility List
Nigerian, Ghanaian and Indian teachers seeking to secure Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) through England’s direct application service now face new restrictions, following a major change by the United Kingdom government that took effect on September 9, 2026.
The UK Department for Education (DfE) has removed Nigeria, Ghana and India from the list of countries whose professionally qualified teachers can use the “Apply for QTS in England” direct recognition service.
The decision has introduced a significant change for overseas-trained teachers who had previously been able to apply directly for recognition of their teaching qualifications in England.
According to the British government, the change is linked primarily to concerns surrounding the verification of employment references submitted by applicants, particularly where references are provided through personal or public email services such as Gmail and Hotmail rather than official school or institutional email addresses.
The DfE said the revised requirements are intended to strengthen the verification process and ensure that teachers awarded QTS possess the qualifications, professional standing and teaching experience required to work within England’s education system.
Figures released by the UK Department for Education show the scale of applications previously coming from Nigeria and Ghana.
During the 2024–25 academic year, teachers trained in the two countries submitted a combined 2,143 applications for Qualified Teacher Status.
Nigeria accounted for 1,076 applications, while Ghana recorded 1,067 applications.
Of the applications submitted by teachers from both countries, 560 resulted in QTS awards, while 1,348 applications were declined.
The figures highlight the importance of the direct recognition route to teachers seeking opportunities within England’s education sector.
The UK government said countries participating in the direct recognition service must meet specific conditions, including having a national regulator capable of confirming the professional standing of teachers.
They must also be able to provide employment references that satisfy the UK’s verification requirements.
For Nigeria and Ghana, the DfE specifically identified difficulties associated with verifying employment histories.
“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.
According to the department, the use of such email addresses has created additional challenges for officials attempting to establish whether the employment information supplied by applicants is genuine.
The government added that this means its assessors “spend additional time and resources trying to verify information provided in applications.”
Explaining the importance of the verification process, the DfE said: “We must be confident that the information applicants provide is genuine.”
The department added: “This helps ensure that overseas teachers awarded qualified teacher status have the skills and experience needed to teach in schools in England.”
Under the revised requirements, employment references must confirm an applicant’s work history and must be submitted using an email address belonging to the relevant school’s official domain.
Despite the removal of Nigeria, Ghana and India from the direct application service, the new policy does not prevent qualified teachers from those countries from working in England.
The UK government maintains a “4-year rule” under which qualified teachers from outside the UK can work in England for up to four years without holding QTS.
This means Nigerian and Ghanaian teachers who meet the relevant conditions can still take up teaching positions during that period, although QTS becomes necessary for teaching in many state schools after the four-year period.
QTS itself is the professional status used in England to recognise qualified teachers and is a legal requirement for teaching in many schools.
However, it is not mandatory in every educational setting. Certain academies, free schools and private schools may employ teachers without QTS, subject to the rules governing those institutions.
Teachers affected by the removal of the direct application route are not left without options.
The UK government continues to provide alternative pathways through which overseas-trained teachers can obtain QTS.
These include the assessment-only route, teacher training in England and International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS).
Under the assessment-only pathway, experienced teachers who already possess the necessary qualifications can demonstrate that they meet the required teaching standards without completing a conventional teacher-training programme.
Applicants generally need at least two years of teaching experience, a bachelor’s degree and other specified qualifications.
The cost of assessment-only QTS typically ranges from about £1,500 to £4,000, depending on the provider.
Another option available to international teachers is International Qualified Teacher Status, commonly known as iQTS.
The programme is open to non-UK citizens and is delivered online by English teacher-training providers in partnership with schools around the world.
The qualification follows the same professional standards as English QTS and can lead to QTS, providing another route for qualified teachers outside the United Kingdom who want to obtain recognition within England’s education system.
The continued availability of these routes means that the latest decision primarily affects the direct recognition process, rather than eliminating opportunities for Nigerian, Ghanaian or Indian teachers to qualify for teaching in England.
The DfE’s latest move reflects a tightening of the checks applied to overseas-trained teachers seeking professional recognition in England.
The central issue identified by the department is the ability to independently verify applicants’ qualifications, professional standing and employment histories before QTS is awarded.
For prospective applicants from Nigeria and Ghana, the new requirements make the authenticity and traceability of employment references particularly important.
With the direct application route no longer available to teachers trained in the three affected countries, applicants will now need to consider the alternative QTS pathways available under the UK’s teacher qualification system.
The DfE said the purpose of the tighter rules is to ensure it can verify the qualifications, professional standing and experience of overseas teachers before awarding them QTS.