The National Commission for Colleges of Education has said the new Dual Mandate Policy, which empowers Colleges of Education to award degrees, will help reduce pressure on university admissions across Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of the NCCE, Angela Ajala, made this known on Friday during a media parley at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja themed ‘A New Dawn for Teacher Education in Nigeria.’
Under the new policy, qualified Federal Colleges of Education will be able to independently award both the Nigeria Certificate in Education and Bachelor’s Degrees in Education without affiliation to universities.
Previously, the institutions operated under affiliated universities for degree awards.
Ajala said the reform is designed to expand access to higher education, reduce overcrowding in universities, and strengthen teacher training in the country.
“The policy will expand access to higher education; reduce pressure on universities; strengthen teacher specialisation; improve institutional autonomy; and attract more candidates into teaching,” she stated.
The NCCE boss noted that the reform followed the enactment of the Federal Colleges of Education Act No. 132 of July 24, 2023, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, and directed that full implementation would begin from the 2026/2027 academic session.
According to her, the commission is already working with the National Universities Commission to “work out the modalities for its seamless take-off as directed by the Federal Government.
“A draft curriculum that allows NCE to dovetail into the degree programmes has been drafted by the commission and forwarded to NUC for more inputs to ensure that the quality of the degrees to be awarded by Colleges of Education is at par with that of the universities.
Ajala added that under the new structure, “NCE programme is to run for three years, while degree components will be for two years.”
Ajala said state and private CoE would also be allowed to implement the policy once they domesticate the reform framework.
The NCCE boss maintained that the reform was not intended to erase the identity of CoE but to strengthen it.
She explained, “Let no one misunderstand this reform. The Dual Mandate is not about making Colleges of Education lose their identity.
“It is about strengthening that identity. It is about saying that teacher education must no longer be treated as a lower pathway. It is a professional pathway. It is a national development pathway. It is a future-shaping pathway.
“It means a student who chooses a College of Education today is not choosing a lesser path.”
Ajala said the commission was also reviewing admission pathways into CoE to improve access while maintaining standards.
She said the commission was already engaging relevant agencies and stakeholders on a more flexible admission framework for teacher education.
The ES stated, “The commission is aware of concerns around access, enrolment, admission processes and the attractiveness of the NCE pathway.
“We are currently in active discussions with relevant agencies and stakeholders on a more flexible, professionally responsive admission framework for teacher education, especially for the NCE.
“The goal is simple: We want to remove administrative barriers, not professional standards.”
Ajala stressed that while access to teacher education must improve, standards would not be compromised.
According to her, the commission’s position was that young Nigerians interested in the teaching profession should not be discouraged by avoidable bottlenecks.
“What we are saying is that a young Nigerian who is passionate about teaching should not be discouraged by avoidable administrative obstacles,” she stated.
