FG warns public against NTI admissions, cancels 2026 NCE, degree intake

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Education has warned prospective students, parents and the general public against seeking admission into unauthorised National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes at the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, following regulatory breaches involving admissions, accreditation and university affiliations.

Consequently, all admissions into NTI’s NCE and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session have been cancelled, while the Institute has been directed to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, as it is not authorised to award NCE and university degrees.

The ministry, in a statement by its Director, Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, emphasised that no further admissions into the affected programmes, whether full-time, part-time or through Distance Learning Studies (DLS), are permitted. Members of the public are therefore strongly advised not to apply, accept admission offers or make payments for such programmes.

According to the statement, “The directive follows violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on 12 September 2025. The Ministry clarifies that NCE admissions must comply with applicable Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) requirements and accreditation standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).”

“The National Universities Commission (NUC) is also to notify affected universities and ensure compliance with the directive on NTI’s discontinued degree-awarding arrangements,” the statement added.

“To protect innocent students already enrolled, the NCCE will conduct comprehensive accreditation of existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones. Eligible students may complete their programmes, subject to accreditation outcomes and regulatory requirements, “it further added.

The ministry reiterated that NTI’s statutory mandate remains teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development. This includes pedagogical capacity-building and the three-to-six-month Special Abridged Programme 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 intended to protect students, uphold academic standards and prevent further exposure of prospective applicants to unapproved programmes.

It urged the public to verify programme accreditation and admission status through relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.