Nigerian govt cancels all 2026 NTI, NCE degree admissions

The Federal Government has cancelled all admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute, NTI, Kaduna, for its National Certificate in Education, NCE, and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session over alleged regulatory violations.

The Ministry of Education announced the cancellation in a statement on Saturday, November 7, directing the institute to immediately discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements.

The government said NTI was not authorised to award NCE or university degrees, warning prospective students, parents and the general public against applying for the affected programmes, accepting admission offers or making payments.

In a statement signed by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, the government said the cancellation covered all categories of admission, including full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies, DLS.

According to the ministry, the decision followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025.

It stated that admissions into NCE programmes must comply with the requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, and accreditation standards set by the National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE.

The ministry also directed the National Universities Commission, NUC, to notify affected universities and ensure compliance with the termination of NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.

“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,” Folasade stated.

The government further warned that no additional admissions into the affected programmes would be permitted.

However, it said measures would be taken to protect students already enrolled in existing NCE Distance Learning programmes.

The ministry explained that the NCCE would conduct comprehensive accreditation of existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

It added that eligible students would be allowed to complete their programmes, subject to the outcome of the accreditation exercise and other regulatory requirements.

The ministry maintained that NTI’s statutory mandate remained focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.

It said the institute was also expected to provide pedagogical capacity-building and a 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.

The government said the intervention was aimed at protecting students, maintaining academic standards and preventing prospective applicants from enrolling in unapproved academic programmes.

It urged prospective students and parents to verify the accreditation and admission status of educational programmes through relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.