GMind Academy has proposed training 774 artificial intelligence (AI) Adoption Specialists, one for each local government area in Nigeria, as part of efforts to accelerate the practical adoption of AI in the country’s education sector.
The proposal is part of discussions between GMind Academy and the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) on a potential partnership to equip teachers, schools and education stakeholders with the skills required to use AI effectively and responsibly.
Success Ojo, co-founder and chief executive of GMind AI and founder of GMind Academy, presented the proposal during a meeting with Ronke Soyombo,
TRCN Registrar, in Abuja on Monday.
Under the proposed initiative, each of the 774 specialists would 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 also receive two months of free access to the GMind AI platform, enabling them to develop practical skills, test AI applications and demonstrate their potential uses within education.
‘Our vision is simple. Every local government area should have someone equipped to help schools navigate AI,’ Ojo said.
The proposed programme builds on GMind Academy’s existing AI training efforts, which Ojo said have so far produced 684 AI specialists.
According to him, the planned nationwide network would extend AI expertise beyond major urban centres, potentially giving schools and teachers at the local-government level access to individuals capable of providing practical guidance on emerging AI technologies.
The proposal comes at a time when Nigeria’s education sector is facing increasing pressure to adapt teacher training and professional standards to rapid technological changes, including the growing use of generative AI.
Soyombo said TRCN was reviewing its professional standards and regulatory framework to accommodate emerging developments in education, including the increasing role of AI.
She, however, stressed that technology should complement teachers rather than replace them.
‘AI is here to support teaching, not replace teachers,’ Soyombo said.
According to her, AI can assist teachers with lesson preparation, differentiated instruction and other classroom tasks, while teachers would continue to provide the human interaction, emotional support and guidance required by learners.
She said TRCN was also developing standardised lesson plans through a collaboration involving leading teachers from public and private schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The standardised lesson plans, she explained, would provide additional support to teachers while also serving as a foundation for developing an AI-powered system capable of generating classroom resources.
For GMind, the proposed partnership would take AI training beyond technology professionals and embed practical AI knowledge within Nigeria’s education communities.
Through its Certified AI-Ready Teacher (CART) programme, GMind Academy is training educators on the use of AI for teaching, learning, assessment and productivity, while promoting responsible technology adoption.
Ojo proposed that teachers who complete the CART programme could earn recognised professional-development credits towards their continuing professional development requirements, subject to TRCN approval and applicable regulations.
If adopted, such an arrangement could integrate AI competency into teachers’ continuing professional development rather than treating AI training as a one-off intervention.
The proposed collaboration also aligns with TRCN’s broader efforts to strengthen professional standards, teacher licensing and safeguards for children in schools.
Soyombo said the Council had introduced child-protection and safeguarding certification into its Professional Qualifying Examination, making safeguarding training compulsory for prospective teachers seeking registration.
She said TRCN was also working with the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant agencies on a criminal-records framework intended to strengthen child protection and safety in schools.
The Council has further introduced a toll-free reporting line to improve public access and provide a channel for complaints relating to teachers and school safety.
Beyond professional standards, Soyombo said TRCN was implementing reforms to expand its digital examination infrastructure.
According to her, some examination centres can now accommodate as many as 5,000 candidates simultaneously, compared with capacities of about 120 candidates per session previously.
The digital testing platform also incorporates remote-proctoring technology, she said.
The Council is simultaneously implementing its Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway, designed 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, as well as the Federal Government’s broader efforts to reform the education sector.
She argued that AI readiness should constitute the next layer of Nigeria’s education transformation, particularly as schools and teachers increasingly encounter AI-powered tools.
‘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.