FG scraps NTI’s university affiliations nationwide

The Federal Ministry of Education has cancelled all 2026 admissions into the National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes at the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, over breaches of mission and accreditation requirements.

In a statement, the ministry’s spokesperson, Boriowo Folasade, also directed the institution to stop all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements.

The ministry explained that the NTI will no longer process any admissions into full-time, part-time or Distance Learning Studies (DLS) for NCE or Bachelor’s degree programmes.

It also advised the public not to apply, accept admission offers or make payments for such programmes.

“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 statement reads in part.

“The Ministry emphasises that no further admissions into the affected programmes, whether full-time, part-time or through Distance Learning Studies (DLS), are permitted.”

The violations

According to the ministry, the decision followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued to the institute in September 2025.

It said NCE admissions must meet the requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the accreditation standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

The ministry said the National Universities Commission (NUC) will inform the affected universities and ensure they comply with the order ending NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.

To protect students already in the system, the ministry said the NCCE will fully accredit existing NCE II to IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.

ALSO READ: Over 2m Northern children, 25,000 teachers benefit as UK-funded programme closes

It said eligible students may finish their programmes, depending on the accreditation results and regulatory requirements.

NTI’s mandate

The ministry said NTI’s legal mandate remains 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 (TRCN), subject to applicable regulations,” it said.

The ministry urged the public to check a programme’s accreditation and admission status with the relevant regulators and official government channels before enrolling or paying.

It added that the intervention is meant to protect students, uphold academic standards and stop prospective applicants from being exposed to unapproved programmes.