Daud Olatunji
The Federal Government has cancelled all admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session over alleged breaches of regulatory and accreditation requirements.
The government also directed the Kaduna-based institution to immediately discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, declaring that it lacked the statutory authorisation to award NCE and university degrees.
The Federal Ministry of Education announced the decision in a statement issued on Saturday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo.
The ministry consequently warned prospective students, parents and guardians against seeking admission into the affected programmes, including full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS).
It also cautioned applicants against accepting admission offers or making payments to the institute for the affected programmes.
The statement said, “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.”
According to the ministry, the decision followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025.
It explained that admissions into NCE programmes must comply with the requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and meet the accreditation standards prescribed by the National Commission for Colleges of Education.
The ministry further directed the National Universities Commission to formally notify affected universities and ensure strict compliance with the order terminating NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.
However, the government said it was taking steps to prevent students already enrolled in existing programmes from becoming victims of the regulatory dispute.
It specifically disclosed that the NCCE would conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.
The exercise, according to the ministry, would determine which programmes and students meet the required academic and regulatory standards.
It added that students found eligible could be allowed to complete their studies, subject to the outcome of the accreditation exercise and other regulatory requirements.
“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,” the statement added.
The ministry, however, clarified that the cancellation of admissions and degree-awarding arrangements did not invalidate NTI’s statutory mandate as a teacher-training institution.
It maintained that the institute’s responsibilities remained focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.
The institute is also expected to provide pedagogical capacity-building programmes, alongside a three-to-six-month Special Abridged Programme for serving teachers who possess degrees outside Education.
The programme is designed to equip such teachers with the professional competencies required for registration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.
The ministry said the intervention was necessary to protect students, preserve academic standards and prevent prospective applicants from enrolling in programmes that had not secured the requisite regulatory approvals.
It therefore urged members of the public to verify the accreditation and admission status of educational programmes through the relevant regulatory agencies and official government channels before accepting admission offers or making payments.
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