By Moses Kolo

The National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna, has assured students already enrolled in its NCE and degree programmes that they will be given the opportunity to complete their studies in spite of a recent Federal Government directive.

The institute gave the assurance in a statement issued on Monday by its Head of Public Relations and Protocol, Mr Yusha’u Ahmed, following the Federal Ministry of Education’s cancellation of all admissions into its NCE and degree programmes for the 2026 academic session.

The ministry also directed the institute to discontinue all university affiliations and degree-awarding arrangements over alleged violations of regulatory requirements on admissions, accreditation and academic partnerships.

It warned prospective students, parents and the public against seeking admission into the affected programmes, including full-time, part-time and Distance Learning Studies (DLS).

According to the ministry, the directive followed violations of the Ministerial Operational Guidelines issued on Sept. 12, 2025, which require NCE admissions to comply with Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) procedures and accreditation standards of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

The ministry, however, indicated that existing students would be allowed to complete their studies, subject to accreditation outcomes and other regulatory requirements.

Reacting to the directive, NTI management said it was not intended to abandon students already enrolled in its programmes.

It urged the students to remain calm and continue monitoring official communications while maintaining contact with their respective study centres for updates on academic activities, accreditation exercises, examinations and programme completion arrangements.

The institute also appealed to stakeholders and members of the public to avoid spreading misinformation capable of causing unnecessary anxiety among students.

Meanwhile, the ministry had directed the NCCE to conduct comprehensive accreditation of existing NCE II to IV Distance Learning programmes and study centres across the six geopolitical zones.

The exercise is expected to establish the eligibility of existing students to complete their programmes in line with applicable academic and regulatory standards.

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

It said the institute was expected to continue providing pedagogical capacity-building and the three-to-six-month Special Abridged Programme for serving teachers with non-Education degrees, subject to applicable regulations.

The programme is designed to equip such teachers with the professional competencies required for registration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). (NAN)

Edited by Yakubu Uba