The National Commission for Colleges of Education has announced that its newly introduced Dual Mandate Policy will help reduce the growing pressure on university admissions across Nigeria while expanding access to higher education.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, Angela Ajala, made this known on Friday during a media parley in Abuja themed “A New Dawn for Teacher Education in Nigeria.”
Under the new policy, qualified Federal Colleges of Education will now be empowered to independently award both the Nigeria Certificate in Education and Bachelor’s Degrees in Education without affiliation to universities, marking a major shift in Nigeria’s teacher education structure.
Previously, Colleges of Education were required to operate under affiliated universities to award degrees, a system that often limited capacity and slowed expansion of teacher training programmes.
Ajala explained that the reform is designed to expand access to higher education, reduce overcrowding in universities, strengthen teacher specialization, and improve institutional autonomy while making the teaching profession more attractive to young Nigerians.
She noted that the policy was enabled by the Federal Colleges of Education Act No 132 of 2023 signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, with full implementation scheduled for the 2026 to 2027 academic session.
The NCCE is already working with the National Universities Commission to harmonize curriculum standards and ensure smooth implementation of the new framework across institutions.
Ajala disclosed that a draft curriculum has been developed to allow the Nigeria Certificate in Education programme to transition smoothly into the degree programme, ensuring that graduates meet national and international standards.
She further explained that the NCE programme will run for three years, while the degree component will take an additional two years under the new structure.
According to her, the reform is not intended to weaken Colleges of Education but to strengthen their identity and reposition teacher education as a professional and development focused pathway.
She emphasized that students who choose Colleges of Education are not selecting a lesser option but a more specialized route into the teaching profession.
Ajala also revealed ongoing discussions with relevant agencies to introduce a more flexible admission framework that will remove unnecessary administrative barriers while maintaining academic standards.
She stressed that the commission remains committed to improving access to teacher education without compromising quality, adding that Nigeria needs more professionally trained and competent teachers for its growing education sector.
The NCCE boss also outlined broader reforms aimed at improving learning outcomes, including a shift toward a development focused regulatory approach that prioritizes classroom impact over administrative compliance alone.
She said the commission will now focus more on the quality of graduates and their ability to effectively teach, use technology, and solve classroom challenges.
Ajala added that the teacher education curriculum is being redesigned to include digital literacy, artificial intelligence awareness, entrepreneurship, inclusive education, emotional intelligence, STEM education, and competency based learning.
She also urged the media to help ce public perception about teaching, describing it as a vital profession rather than a fallback option.
The NCCE maintains that the Dual Mandate Policy represents a major milestone in Nigeria’s education reform journey and a strategic effort to strengthen teacher education nationwide.
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