Education Ministry Cancels 2026 NTI NCE, Degree Admissions Over Regulatory Violations
The Federal Ministry of Education has cancelled all admissions into the National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, for the 2026 academic session over alleged regulatory violations.
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 dated November 7, 2026, the Ministry warned prospective students, parents and the general public against seeking admission, accepting admission offers or making payments for the affected programmes.
It stated that the prohibition covers full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS) programmes, adding that no further admissions into the affected courses would be permitted.
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 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.
However, the Ministry said measures had been introduced to protect students already enrolled in existing programmes.
It disclosed that the NCCE would conduct comprehensive accreditation of NTI’s existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.
Eligible students would be allowed to complete their programmes, subject to accreditation results and other regulatory requirements.
The Ministry reaffirmed that NTI’s statutory responsibilities remain focused on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.
These responsibilities also include pedagogical capacity-building and the three-to-six-month Special Abridged Programme designed for serving teachers with non-Education degrees to acquire professional competencies required for registration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), subject to applicable regulations.
It emphasised that the intervention was aimed at protecting students, maintaining academic standards and preventing prospective applicants from enrolling in unapproved programmes.
The Ministry consequently advised the public to verify the accreditation and admission status of programmes through relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.
