The Federal Government has cancelled all admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, for its National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session over alleged regulatory violations involving accreditation and university affiliations.
The decision was announced by the Federal Ministry of Education, which also directed the institute to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements.
According to the ministry, NTI was not authorised to award NCE certificates or university degrees under the arrangements previously in operation.
The cancellation affects full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies programmes. The government has consequently warned prospective students, parents and guardians against seeking admission or making payments for the affected programmes.
The ministry explained that the decision followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025.
It further stated that admissions into NCE programmes must comply with the 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 the affected universities and ensure compliance with the order discontinuing NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.
The government maintained that educational institutions must operate within their approved mandates and obtain the necessary regulatory authorisations before offering academic programmes.
Meanwhile, the ministry has addressed concerns surrounding students already enrolled in the affected programmes.
It disclosed that the NCCE would conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing NCE II to IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The exercise will assess whether the existing programmes meet the required academic and regulatory standards. Eligible students may be permitted to complete their studies, subject to the outcome of the accreditation exercise and other regulatory requirements.
The ministry said the measure was intended to protect students from losing their academic progress because of the regulatory issues.
Despite the cancellation of admissions, the Federal Government clarified that NTI would continue to perform its statutory responsibilities in teacher education.
These include teacher training and retraining, in-service development, continuous professional development and pedagogical capacity-building programmes.
The ministry also urged prospective students to verify the accreditation status of academic programmes through the appropriate regulatory agencies before applying or making payments.
The cancellation marks a significant development in Nigeria’s education sector, with the government maintaining that the action is necessary to protect students, uphold academic standards and ensure compliance with established regulatory frameworks.
