…Cancels 2026 NCE, Degree Admissions Over Regulatory Breaches
The Federal Ministry of Education has barred the National Teachers Institute (NTI) from admitting students into its National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes, as well as awarding certificates under the affected programmes, following regulatory breaches involving admissions, accreditation and university affiliations.
Consequently, all admissions into the institute’s NCE and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session have been cancelled.
The ministry also directed NTI to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, stating that the institute is not authorised to award NCE and university certificates.
This was contained in a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
According to the statement, NTI has been directed to immediately stop offering admission to prospective students into the affected programmes, whether on a full-time, part-time or Distance Learning Studies (DLS) basis.
The ministry advised members of the public not to apply for admission, accept admission offers or make payments for such programmes.
The directive follows alleged violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025.
The ministry clarified that NCE admissions must comply with the applicable requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the accreditation standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
It added that the National Universities Commission (NUC) would notify affected universities and ensure compliance with the directive discontinuing NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.
However, to protect students already enrolled in the programmes, the NCCE will conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.
Eligible students may be allowed to complete their programmes, subject to accreditation outcomes and other regulatory requirements.
The ministry reiterated that NTI’s statutory mandate remains focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.
These responsibilities include pedagogical capacity building and the three-to-six-month Special Abridged Programme designed for serving teachers with non-education degrees to acquire the professional competencies required for registration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), subject to applicable regulations.
The ministry stressed that the intervention is aimed at protecting students, maintaining academic standards and preventing prospective applicants from falling victim to unapproved academic programmes.
It therefore urged members of the public to verify the accreditation and admission status of programmes through relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.
