Ministry Education Cancels NTI’s 2026 NCE, Degree Admissions Over Regulatory Breaches

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 involving admissions, accreditation and university affiliations.

The Ministry also directed the Institute to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, stressing that NTI is not authorised to award NCE or university degrees.

In a press release issued on Saturday, November 7, 2026, and signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the Ministry warned prospective students, parents and the general public against seeking admission into the affected programmes.

It stated that the prohibition covers full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS), warning that no further admissions are permitted and advising members of the public not to apply, accept admission offers or make payments for the programmes.

According to the Ministry, the decision followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025.

It further clarified that NCE admissions must comply with the applicable 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 decision to discontinue NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.

However, in a move to protect students already enrolled in the affected programmes, the Ministry said the NCCE would conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.

It explained that eligible students would be allowed to complete their programmes, subject to accreditation outcomes and other regulatory requirements.

The Ministry reaffirmed that NTI’s statutory mandate remains focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.

These responsibilities 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), subject to applicable regulations.

It stressed that the intervention was necessary to protect students, uphold academic standards and prevent prospective applicants from enrolling in unapproved programmes.

The Ministry consequently urged prospective students and parents to verify the accreditation and admission status of educational programmes through relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before
channels before making enrolment or payment decisions