The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has defended the dual mandate policy allowing Colleges of Education to award both the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degrees, describing it as crucial to the transformation of teacher education in Nigeria.
Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr Angela Ajala, said the policy had helped restore confidence in teacher education at a time when enrolment interest was declining due to perceptions about the value of the NCE qualification.
Speaking during an interview with the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) in Abuja, Ajala described the dual mandate, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in 2023, as a major reform that reinforces the role of teacher education in national development.
She said quality teacher preparation remained essential to building a skilled workforce, noting that every profession depends on competent teachers.
Ajala also disclosed that the NCCE had removed NCE admissions from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) placement system as part of efforts to improve access to Colleges of Education.
To maintain standards under the new framework, she said the commission reviewed the curriculum in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC), while institutions seeking to run degree programmes must meet requirements on infrastructure, staffing and learning resources.
According to her, about 20 Colleges of Education are ready to commence degree programmes under the dual mandate, with others expected to join in phases.
State and private colleges, she added, will require the necessary legal approvals before implementation.
Ajala said the NCCE had also introduced a competency-based curriculum that allocates 70 per cent to practical training and 30 per cent to theory.
She said the revised curriculum includes courses in Artificial Intelligence, robotics, data analytics, cybersecurity and coding within Computer Education programmes, while skills certification and entrepreneurship training have been integrated to broaden students’ competencies.
Under the dual mandate structure, students can obtain an NCE after three years and proceed to complete a B.Ed. degree within an additional two years, she explained.
Ajala said the commission’s 2026-2031 strategic plan aims to have at least 80 per cent of Colleges of Education operating under the dual mandate by 2031.
She added that the plan would prioritise staff development, institutional capacity building, partnerships and advocacy, with support expected from development partners including the European Union, UNESCO, the British Council and Oxford University.
The NCCE boss further disclosed that the commission had established a Reform Delivery Unit to submit quarterly reports and was developing a digital dashboard to monitor activities across Colleges of Education in real time.
While noting that it was too early to assess the impact of the reforms on admissions because the current admission cycle only recently commenced, Ajala insisted that strengthening teacher education must remain a national priority.
