The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has announced that 18 colleges of education will begin running both the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes from the 2025/2026 academic session.
Executive Secretary of the NCCE, Prof Paulinus Chijioke, said the initiative follows the amendment of the 1989 Act establishing the colleges, with the latest amendment in 2023 granting them a dual mandate.
He explained that many of the selected colleges already run degree programmes through affiliations with universities and possess the facilities and manpower to operate independently.
He added that the arrangement would reduce underutilisation of resources, ease student progression, and expand access to degree-level teacher training.
“The colleges of education are created only to train teachers. NCE is for basic education while degree holders are for senior secondary schools,” Chijioke said, noting that professional teaching practice is a core feature of the colleges’ training model.
On fears of discrimination against graduates, he assured that the law recognises parity between degrees from colleges of education and universities, while the National Assembly has also pledged to prevent any form of dichotomy.
