GMind Academy has proposed a nationwide initiative to place an AI specialist in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas to help teachers and schools adopt artificial intelligence, the organisation’s co-founder Success Ojo told Ronke Soyombo, Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), during a meeting in Abuja on Monday.
Scaling AI education to all 774 local governments
The proposal, presented by Success Ojo, would see each of the 774 specialists serve as an AI adoption champion within a local government, helping teachers and schools understand, deploy and integrate AI tools into teaching, learning and administrative processes. The specialists would receive two months of free access to the GMind AI platform to develop practical skills, test AI applications and demonstrate their potential uses for education.
Ojo said the plan builds on GMind Academy’s existing AI training, which he said has so far produced 684 AI specialists, and aims to extend AI expertise beyond major urban centres so local schools and teachers can access practical guidance on emerging AI technologies.
Integration with TRCN standards and teacher development
GMind’s proposal was discussed as TRCN reviews its professional standards and regulatory framework to accommodate developments in education, including the growing role of generative AI. GMind’s Certified AI-Ready Teacher (CART) programme trains educators in using AI for teaching, learning, assessment and productivity while promoting responsible adoption. Ojo proposed that teachers who complete CART could earn recognised professional-development credits towards their continuing professional development requirements, subject to TRCN approval and applicable regulations.
TRCN Registrar Ronke Soyombo said the council is adapting its frameworks but stressed that technology should complement teachers rather than replace them: “AI is here to support teaching, not replace teachers,” Soyombo said. She added that AI can assist with lesson preparation, differentiated instruction and other classroom tasks, while teachers continue to provide human interaction, emotional support and guidance.
Soyombo also said TRCN is developing standardised lesson plans through collaboration with leading teachers from public and private schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones; these plans would provide additional support to teachers and serve as a foundation for an AI-powered system capable of generating classroom resources.
TRCN is also pursuing child-protection and safety reforms: it has introduced child-protection and safeguarding certification into its Professional Qualifying Examination, making safeguarding training compulsory for prospective teachers seeking registration. The council is working with the Nigeria Police Force and other agencies on a criminal-records framework intended to strengthen child protection in schools, and it has introduced a toll-free reporting line for complaints relating to teachers and school safety.
Beyond safeguarding, Soyombo said TRCN is expanding its digital examination infrastructure. Some examination centres can now accommodate as many as 5,000 candidates simultaneously, compared with capacities of about 120 candidates per session previously, and the digital testing platform incorporates remote-proctoring technology. The council is also implementing an Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway to help more teachers meet licensing requirements as enforcement of professional registration rules is strengthened.
Ojo commended TRCN’s work in teacher registration, licensing, accreditation and continuous professional development, and praised federal efforts to reform the education sector. “Our vision is simple. Every local government area should have someone equipped to help schools navigate AI,” Ojo said.
“The proposed GMind-TRCN collaboration, if concluded, would establish a network of AI practitioners operating at the local-government level, with the objective of helping teachers and schools navigate both the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence.
“The initiative could also provide a mechanism for taking AI capacity-building to schools outside Nigeria’s major urban centres, where access to specialised technology expertise may be limited” , she said.
