Tunji Alausa, minister of education, says the federal government exempted candidates seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes from the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to create a smoother pathway into university education and attract more students into teacher training.
Alausa spoke on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.
On Monday, the minister announced during the 2026 admission policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) that candidates seeking admission into education programmes and agriculture non-engineering courses would no longer be required to sit for UTME.
Explaining the decision, Alausa said the reform is linked to the federal government’s dual mandate policy introduced in colleges of education.
According to him, students can now gain admission into colleges of education, complete their three-year NCE programme, and proceed directly to obtain a Bachelor of Education degree if they meet the required qualifications.
“Now, NCE also has a pathway to university,” he said.
“You do three years NCE. By the time you’re finishing, if you meet the O-level requirement to go to university, which is five credits including English, you can continue for another two years to finish your bachelor’s and get a Bachelor of Education.”
THE POLICY IMPROVES ENROLMENT
The minister said the policy has already begun across federal colleges of education and several state-owned institutions.
He added that the reform has improved enrolment and made colleges of education more sustainable.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people going,” he said.
According to Alausa, the arrangement is similar to the progression system between national diploma (ND) and degree programmes in polytechnics and universities.
“It’s like A-levels for them,” he said.
“Just like you can do national diploma and then go to the university, you can also do NCE and proceed.”
The minister explained that under the previous system, NCE holders had to apply through direct entry into universities after graduation.
However, he said the new framework simplifies the process into a single admission pathway.
“Before, once you had NCE, you could now go to university through direct entry,” he said.
“But we’ve minimised it now. You now do one single entry.”
Alausa added that the policy is aimed at creating a stronger pool of qualified teachers across the country.
