Key Takeaways
- The Federal Government unveiled a new curriculum and the NCCE’s 2026–2031 strategic plan for colleges of education at an event in Abuja.
- Education Minister of State Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad said colleges must have qualified lecturers, adequate facilities and working quality assurance systems before introducing or expanding degree programmes.
- Ahmad urged the NCCE to ensure colleges understand and properly implement the curriculum, while aligning budgets, recruitment plans and infrastructure projects with the reforms.
The Federal Government has warned colleges of education against rushing into degree programmes without having the lecturers, classrooms and other facilities needed to train students properly.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, gave the warning on Tuesday in Abuja while unveiling a new curriculum and a five-year plan for colleges of education across the country, Naija News reports.
She said allowing the institutions to award degrees alongside the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) was a welcome development, but stressed that maintaining academic standards must remain a priority.
According to her, colleges must have qualified lecturers, adequate facilities and working quality assurance systems before introducing or expanding degree programmes.
The minister said the success of the policy should not be judged by the number of colleges offering degrees but by the quality of teachers they produce.
She also called on the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) to ensure that all institutions understand and properly implement the new curriculum.
Ahmad urged college managements to make their budgets, staff recruitment plans and infrastructure projects part of the wider reform plan.
She also called for better cooperation among the Federal Ministry of Education, NCCE, National Universities Commission (NUC) and college managements to avoid confusion over their regulatory responsibilities.
The NCCE Executive Secretary, Dr Angela Ajala, said the reforms were aimed at producing teachers who could meet the changing needs of schools and students.
Speaking at the national retreat and workshop on the implementation of the dual mandate and the NCCE Medium-Term Strategic Plan for 2026–2031, Ajala said colleges needed to do more than award certificates.
