Education Ministry Cancels NTI 2026 NCE, Degree Admissions Over Regulatory Breaches
By Pan Afric Reporters
The Federal Ministry of Education has cancelled all admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session over regulatory breaches, warning prospective students against enrolling in the affected programmes.
The directive was contained in a press release dated November 7, 2026, issued by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, following violations involving admissions, accreditation and university affiliations.
The Ministry also directed NTI to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, stressing that the Institute is not authorised to award NCE or university degrees.
It warned that no further admissions into the affected programmes, whether full-time, part-time or through Distance Learning Studies (DLS), would be permitted.
Consequently, prospective students, parents and the general public were advised not to apply, accept admission offers or make payments for the programmes.
According to the Ministry, the directive followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025. It emphasised that NCE admissions must comply with Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) requirements and accreditation standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
The National Universities Commission (NUC) was also directed to notify affected universities and ensure compliance with the decision on NTI’s discontinued degree-awarding arrangements.
However, to protect students already enrolled, the Ministry said the NCCE would conduct comprehensive accreditation of existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.
It stated that eligible students could complete their programmes, subject to accreditation outcomes and applicable regulatory requirements.
The Ministry reaffirmed that NTI’s statutory mandate remained teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development, including pedagogical capacity-building.
It also noted that the Institute was mandated to provide the three-to-six-month Special Abridged Programme for serving teachers with non-Education degrees to acquire professional competencies required for registration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), subject to relevant regulations.
The Ministry said the intervention was aimed at protecting students, upholding academic standards and preventing prospective applicants from being exposed to unapproved programmes.
It therefore urged the public to verify programme accreditation and admission status through relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.
