The Federal Government has scrapped all admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session following regulatory breaches involving accreditation and university affiliations.
The Federal Ministry of Education also ordered the Kaduna-based institution to end all affiliations with universities and discontinue its degree-awarding arrangements. It cautioned prospective students and parents against applying for or making payments for the affected programmes.
In a statement released on Saturday, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, explained that NTI lacked the authorisation to award NCE certificates or university degrees.
She clarified that the directive covered every admission category, including full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies programmes.
“No further admissions into the affected programmes, whether full-time, part-time, or through Distance Learning Studies, are permitted,” the ministry stated.
The ministry said the decision was prompted by breaches of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines released on September 12, 2025.
It explained that NCE admissions must adhere to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) requirements and accreditation standards established by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
The Federal Government also instructed the National Universities Commission (NUC) to inform the affected universities and ensure compliance with the directive terminating NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.
However, the ministry assured students already enrolled in existing NCE Distance Learning programmes that measures would be taken to protect their academic interests through a comprehensive accreditation exercise.
It disclosed that the NCCE would evaluate existing NCE II to IV programmes and study centres across the country’s six geopolitical zones to establish whether they meet the required regulatory standards.
“Eligible students may complete their programmes, subject to accreditation outcomes and regulatory requirements,” the statement added.
According to the ministry, the intervention is intended to safeguard students and prevent prospective applicants from enrolling in academic programmes that lack the necessary approval.
It further stressed that NTI’s statutory responsibilities remained focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.
“This includes pedagogical capacity-building and the 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, subject to applicable regulations,” the statement added.
The ministry urged members of the public to confirm the accreditation and admission status of academic programmes through relevant regulatory bodies and official government platforms before seeking admission or making any payments.