FG cancels 2026 NTI admissions, bans degree programmes

The Federal Government has cancelled all admissions into the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session, citing regulatory violations, and ordered the institute to halt all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements.

The government also warned prospective students, parents and the general public against seeking admission into the affected programmes, including full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS), or making payments.

The Federal Ministry of Education announced the decisions in a statement issued on Saturday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.

The ministry said the Kaduna-based institute was not authorised to award NCE or university degrees, adding that all admissions into the affected programmes had been cancelled.

“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 said.

It further stressed that no fresh admissions into the affected programmes, whether full-time, part-time or through DLS, would be permitted.

According to the ministry, the action followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on September 12, 2025.

It explained that NCE admissions must comply with the requirements of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and the accreditation standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education.

The ministry also directed the National Universities Commission to notify affected universities and ensure compliance with the order terminating NTI’s degree-awarding arrangements.

However, the government said it would take steps to protect students already enrolled in the institute’s existing programmes, particularly those in NCE II–IV Distance Learning Studies.

FG blames gas crunch for worsening power outages

It said the NCCE would conduct a comprehensive accreditation exercise covering existing NCE programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones to determine which students would be eligible to complete their studies.

“To protect innocent students already enrolled, the NCCE will conduct comprehensive accreditation of existing NCE II–IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.

“Eligible students may complete their programmes, subject to accreditation outcomes and regulatory requirements,” the ministry said.

The ministry clarified that NTI’s statutory mandate remained centred on teacher training, retraining, in-service development and continuous professional development.

It said the institute was also expected to provide pedagogical capacity-building and a 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.

The government said the intervention was aimed at protecting students, maintaining academic standards and preventing prospective applicants from enrolling in unapproved programmes.

It urged members of the public to verify the accreditation and admission status of academic programmes through relevant regulatory authorities and official government channels before making enrolment or payment decisions.