By Gabriel Ameh
The Federal Government has cancelled all 2026 admissions into the National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, citing regulatory violations involving admissions, accreditation and university affiliations.
The Federal Ministry of Education announced the decision on Saturday, November 7, warning prospective students, parents and the general public against applying for the affected programmes, accepting admission offers or making payments.
The directive covers full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS) programmes. The Ministry also ordered NTI to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, stressing that the institute is not authorised to award NCE certificates or 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 (JAMB) and the accreditation standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has also been directed to notify affected universities and ensure compliance with the order discontinuing NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.
Existing Students May Be Allowed to Complete Their Studies
Despite the cancellation of fresh admissions, the Federal Government said it would take steps to protect students already enrolled in the institute’s programmes.
The NCCE will conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Students whose programmes and study centres meet the required accreditation standards may be allowed to complete their studies, subject to the outcome of the exercise and applicable regulatory requirements.
The Ministry also clarified that NTI’s statutory responsibilities remain focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.
These responsibilities include pedagogical capacity-building and a 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), subject to applicable regulations.
The Ministry said the intervention was necessary to protect students, maintain academic standards and prevent prospective applicants from enrolling in unapproved programmes.
It consequently urged members of the public to verify the accreditation and admission status of educational programmes through relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.
The warning places prospective NTI applicants on notice to avoid financial commitments to the affected 2026 programmes until further clarification from the relevant authorities.
Source: Federal Ministry of Education, press statement issued November 7, 2026.
