The United Kingdom has removed Nigeria- and Ghana-trained teachers from the list of countries eligible for its direct Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) application service, citing concerns over the use of public email addresses for employment references.
The UK Department for Education said more than 70 percent of applications from teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana contained work-history references using public email services such as Gmail and Hotmail instead of official school email domains.
According to the department, the practice creates additional work for assessors who have to verify information supplied by applicants.
The change took effect on September 9, 2026.
Nigeria and Ghana were added to the list of countries eligible for the direct QTS route in 2023. The qualification is a legal requirement for teaching in several schools in England.
The UK government said eligible countries must have a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional standing and providing authenticated references.
India was also removed from the list because it does not have a national regulator that can verify professional standing. South Africa is currently the only African country remaining on the list.
The department said applicants must provide evidence of their qualifications, professional recognition and teaching experience, including at least one school year or nine months of teaching experience after becoming qualified.
Applicants must also provide references confirming their work history, with the references required to use an email address associated with the school’s official domain.
Teachers from countries no longer eligible for the direct QTS service can explore alternative routes to gaining teaching status in England.