The Federal Government has cancelled all admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute’s (NTI) National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session, citing breaches of regulatory requirements governing admissions, accreditation and university affiliations.
The Federal Ministry of Education also directed the Kaduna-based institute to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, insisting that it lacks the authority to award NCE and university degrees.
The decisions were announced in a statement issued on Saturday by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
The ministry warned prospective students, parents and members of the public against applying for admission into the affected programmes, accepting admission offers or making payments.
It said the cancellation covers full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS) programmes, adding that no further admissions into the affected courses would be permitted.
“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 statement said.
According to the ministry, the directive followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025.
It explained that NCE admissions must comply with the requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and accreditation standards set by the National Commission for Colleges of Education.
The ministry also directed the National Universities Commission to notify the affected universities and ensure compliance with the order ending NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.
Existing students to undergo accreditation
Despite the cancellation, the government said it would take steps to protect students already enrolled in the affected programmes, particularly those in NCE II–IV Distance Learning Studies.
It directed the NCCE to conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.
The exercise will determine which students are eligible to complete their studies, subject to accreditation outcomes 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,” the ministry said.
It added that eligible students could complete their programmes if they met the required standards.
The ministry clarified that NTI’s statutory responsibilities remain focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.
The institute is 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.
The ministry said the intervention was intended to protect students, uphold academic standards and prevent prospective applicants from enrolling in unapproved programmes.
It consequently urged Nigerians to verify the accreditation and admission status of academic programmes through the relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.
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