FG cancels 2026 NTI admissions, halts degree programmes over regulatory breaches

The Federal Government has cancelled all 2026 admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute’s (NTI) National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes.

The decision follows regulatory breaches involving admissions processes, accreditation, and unauthorised university affiliations.

The Federal Ministry of Education directed the Kaduna-based institute to immediately discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements. The ministry stated that the NTI lacks the statutory authorisation to independently award NCE or university degrees to students.

A statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, urged members of the public against seeking admission into the affected full-time, part-time, and Distance Learning Studies (DLS). The government warned prospective students and parents against making payments for the affected programmes, insisting that the institute is not authorised to award university degrees.

“Consequently, 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.

According to the ministry, the directives was issued after several violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025. The ministry ordered that all NCE admissions must comply with the requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has been mandated to notify all affected universities to ensure total compliance with the order.

However, the government assured that measures are in place to protect innocent students already enrolled, particularly those in the NCE II–IV distance learning category.

The NCCE will conduct a comprehensive accreditation of study centres across the six geopolitical zones in order to salvage the situation for existing students. The regulatory exercise will determine which students are eligible to complete their academic programmes.

The ministry reiterated its commitment to maintaining academic standards, clarifying that NTI’s core statutory responsibilities remain strictly focused on teacher training, retraining, and continuous professional development. This mandate includes providing pedagogical capacity-building and a three-to-six-month Special Abridged Programme for serving teachers with non-education degrees to acquire professional competencies required by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).