FG Cancels NTI Admissions, Says Institute Lacks Authority to Award NCE, Degrees

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 regulatory violations.

The Federal Ministry of Education also directed the institute to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, stating that it was not authorised to independently award NCE qualifications or university degrees.

The decision was announced on Saturday, November 7, in a statement issued by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.

According to the ministry, the directive followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025, which regulate admissions, accreditation and university affiliations.

The government said the cancellation covers full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS) programmes. It warned prospective students, parents and the general public against applying for admission, accepting offers or making payments for the affected programmes.

The ministry explained that NCE admissions must comply with the requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and accreditation standards established by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

It also directed the National Universities Commission (NUC) to notify affected universities and ensure compliance with the order ending NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.

However, the government said measures would be taken to protect students already enrolled in existing programmes, particularly those undertaking NCE II to NCE IV through distance learning.

The NCCE will conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing NCE distance-learning programmes and study centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The exercise will determine which students are eligible to complete their studies, subject to accreditation findings and regulatory requirements.

The ministry clarified that NTI’s statutory responsibilities remain focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.

It added that the institute is 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 Federal Government urged Nigerians to verify the accreditation and admission status of educational programmes through relevant regulatory authorities before accepting admission offers or making payments.