The Federal Government has announced that colleges of education across the country will begin awarding bachelor’s degrees alongside the National Certificate in Education (NCE) from September 2025. This major educational reform was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during a follow-up stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.
The minister revealed that the dual mandate, signed into law in 2023, allows colleges of education to confer both NCE and bachelor’s degrees. Although the implementation was initially scheduled for the 2024/2025 academic session, it has now been officially postponed to September 2025.
Alausa described the new policy as a transformative step aimed at revitalising Nigeria’s colleges of education, enhancing enrolment, and ending the long-standing calls for their conversion into universities.
“With this dual mandate, there is no need for conversion to university status. You should be the ones pushing for implementation, not the other way around. It’s a matter of your survival,” he said.
The Minister also emphasized the need for innovation in education, urging educators to embrace technology and modern teaching practices that meet 21st-century standards.
“The way we taught 30 or 50 years ago is no longer relevant. Education and teaching methods are evolving. You must start thinking about how to use technology in the classroom,” he stated.
He underscored the urgency of reversing the decline in Nigeria’s education system, calling for collective action to reduce learning poverty and the growing number of out-of-school children.
“We once had a strong educational system, and that’s what we are working hard to restore. All hands are on deck to achieve this,” Alausa said.
Concluding his remarks, Alausa warned that resisting the reform could threaten the future of the colleges. “The government has secured the future of colleges of education. It is now up to you to sustain them. Failure to embrace this mandate could lead to extinction,” he warned.
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