Jane Salihu
The Federal Government has cancelled all admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, for its NCE and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session over regulatory violations, while introducing measures to protect students already enrolled in its existing programmes.
The decision was contained in a press statement issued on Saturday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, who said the Institute had breached regulatory requirements relating to admissions, accreditation and university affiliations.
According to the statement, NTI has been directed to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, as it lacks the statutory authorisation to award National Certificate in Education (NCE) and university degrees.
The Ministry also prohibited further admissions into the affected programmes through full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS) platforms.
It consequently cautioned prospective students, parents and guardians against applying for the programmes, accepting admission offers or making payments, warning that such transactions would be at their own risk.
The directive follows alleged violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025.
The Ministry explained that NCE admissions must comply with the requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and accreditation standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
It added that the National Universities Commission (NUC) would notify affected universities and ensure compliance with the directive discontinuing NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.
However, in a move to prevent already-enrolled students from suffering the consequences of the regulatory breaches, the Ministry directed the NCCE to conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.
Eligible students would be allowed to complete their programmes, subject to accreditation outcomes and other applicable regulatory requirements.
The Ministry further clarified that NTI’s statutory responsibilities remain centred on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.
These include pedagogical capacity-building and the three-to-six-month Special Abridged Programme designed for serving teachers with non-Education degrees to acquire the professional competencies required for registration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), in line with applicable regulations.
It maintained that the intervention was aimed at protecting students, preserving academic standards and preventing prospective applicants from enrolling in programmes that lack the necessary regulatory approval.
The Ministry urged members of the public to verify the accreditation and admission status of educational programmes through relevant regulatory agencies and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.
