The Federal Ministry of Education has invalidated all 2026 admissions into the National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree courses at the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) located in Kaduna, citing severe infractions of operational mandates and accreditation rules. Through an official release issued by ministry spokesperson Boriowo Folasade, the government additionally commanded the establishment to terminate all existing university partnerships and degree-issuing arrangements.
Under the new directive, the NTI is barred from processing any fresh enrollments for full-time, part-time, or Distance Learning Studies (DLS) covering either NCE or Bachelor’s degree paths. Members of the general public have been strongly advised against applying, accepting admission placements, or disbursing funds for such educational offerings.
“All admissions into NTI’s NCE and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session have been cancelled, while the institute has been directed to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements, as it is not authorised to award NCE and university degrees,” the official statement noted. The ministry reiterated that no further enrolments into the compromised paths, regardless of mode of study, will be tolerated.
What led to the regulatory clampdown?
The federal directive emerged after investigations confirmed that the institute breached the Ministerial Operational Guidelines that were formally handed down in September 2025. According to regulatory expectations, any NCE admissions must strictly satisfy the benchmarks set by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) alongside the quality assurance standards enforced by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
Furthermore, the ministry noted that the National Universities Commission (NUC) will liaise with partner universities to guarantee full compliance with the directive terminating NTI's degree-conferring partnerships. To safeguard learners currently enrolled within the framework, the NCCE has been tasked with ensuring full accreditation for existing NCE II to IV Distance Learning modules across all six geopolitical zones.
Enrolled participants meeting the criteria will be permitted to complete their studies, subject to final accreditation verifications and standard regulatory requirements.
What is the core mandate of the institute?
Authorities clarified that the statutory purpose of the NTI centers strictly on teacher training, capacity refreshing, in-service progression, and ongoing professional enhancement.
“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 (TRCN), subject to applicable regulations,” the release stated.
Citizens have been admonished to verify the accreditation status and admission legitimacy of any academic offering directly through authorized government regulators before committing funds or enrolling. The regulatory intervention aims to shield prospective scholars from unverified educational products and uphold the integrity of national academic standards.