Colleges of Education Can Now Run Degree Programmes – FG

The Federal Government has officially granted Colleges of Education in Nigeria the autonomy to run both the National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes without university affiliation.

The policy was announced at the National Education Summit in Abuja on Tuesday, August 19, by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmad, who represented the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.

Describing the move as “a historic milestone in Nigeria’s educational development,” the minister noted that the reform is backed by the Federal Colleges of Education (Establishment) Act No. 43 of 2023.

“For the first time in our history, our Colleges of Education have been legally empowered to run NCE and degree programmes concurrently in teacher education disciplines,” she said.

According to the minister, the reform recognises the decades of competence already demonstrated by Colleges of Education and provides them with legislative and operational authority to expand their academic offerings while maintaining their primary mission of producing skilled teachers.

Prof. Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), also hailed the reform as “historic.” He said the autonomy would revitalise teacher education, strengthen the teaching workforce, and give student-teachers wider access to degree programmes.

“For decades, Colleges of Education partnered with universities to award degrees. Today, with full legislative backing, they now have the autonomy to do so directly, leveraging their own manpower, infrastructure, and academic expertise,” Okwelle explained.

He further highlighted the benefits of the dual mandate, including the production of graduates with both NCE and B.Ed qualifications, steady teacher supply, and retention of experienced educators.

Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Colleges of Education, Hon. Adamu Tanko, assured stakeholders that degrees awarded by the Colleges of Education would carry the same value as those from conventional universities.

The Ministry of Education pledged ongoing support through policy guidelines, technical assistance, and resource mobilisation to ensure smooth implementation of the reform.