Education Minister Tunji Alausa says 18 more state-owned colleges of education are set to begin dual-mandate degree programmes from the 2026 academic session.

Twenty-eight federal colleges of education are currently operating a dual-mandate academic programme that allows students to graduate with both the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and a Bachelor of Education (B.

Ed.) degree.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during a national television programme on Tuesday, explaining that the initiative was introduced last year to strengthen teacher education and increase enrolment in colleges of education.
According to the minister, students admitted into the institutions begin with the NCE programme and, after completing three years and meeting university admission requirements, proceed to an additional two years to obtain a degree certificate.
He said most federal colleges of education, except those established within the last five years, now operate the dual-mandate degree system.
Alausa explained that students would first complete the NCE programme and, if qualified with the required five credits, continue for two more years to earn a Bachelor of Education degree alongside the NCE qualification.
He noted that the reform has improved the sustainability of colleges of education and attracted more students into the institutions.
The minister said the country needs a larger pool of highly qualified teachers, adding that the new structure is helping to reposition colleges of education for the future.
Speaking on state-owned colleges of education, Alausa said states must amend their laws to enable implementation of the programme.
He revealed that about 17 or 18 states had already made the necessary legislative changes and would begin the programme from the 2026 academic session.
According to him, students who fail to meet the required ‘O level’ qualifications after completing the NCE programme would exit with only the NCE certificate.
Alausa stated that beyond increasing access to tertiary education, the reform was designed to create a stronger and better-trained teaching workforce.
He also said reforms introduced by the Federal Government increased tertiary admissions from 770,000 to 1.1 million students last year after the removal of restrictive admission requirements.
The minister added that the decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into colleges of education, as well as non-technology agricultural courses in polytechnics and monotechnics, from writing the UTME would further raise admissions by about 1.5 million this year.
On the broader education reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Alausa said the government was focused on using education as a foundation for national economic transformation.
He said the administration was investing in young Nigerians to convert the country’s large population into a productive demographic advantage.
According to him, the decision to exempt some NCE and diploma candidates from UTME was aimed at improving access and encouraging enrolment in institutions that had recorded low application rates over the years.
The minister disclosed that Nigeria currently has about 772 polytechnics and monotechnics, with fewer than 100 applicants choosing many of them as first-choice institutions.
He added that out of the country’s 255 colleges of education, about 214 recorded fewer than 100 first-choice applications, representing roughly 84 per cent.
Alausa also credited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for improving access to tertiary education by removing financial barriers for students.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Audu Amba, criticised the policy, warning that it could further reduce the quality and prestige of teacher education in the country.
Speaking at a sensitisation workshop organised by 21st Century in collaboration with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Amba lamented the declining quality of candidates seeking admission into colleges of education.
He argued that many of the brightest students still preferred universities and other tertiary institutions, while colleges of education had increasingly become alternatives for candidates unable to secure admission elsewhere.
Amba suggested that prospective students seeking admission into colleges of education should be among the highest scorers in the UTME to improve the quality of future teachers.