The Federal Colleges of Education (FGCs) will be offering degree programmes in conjunction with the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), according to approval from the federal government. However, the approval states that degree programmes can only be started by accredited colleges.
Daily Trust obtained a copy of a June 5, 2024, letter from the Federal Ministry of Education to the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), which contained the directive. The Director of Colleges of Education, Dr. U. C. Uba, signed the letter, which stated that the permission was based on the technical committee’s implementation framework recommendations.
According to the letter, the implementation is scheduled to start in the 2024–2025 academic year. Additionally, the federal government mandated that newly founded education colleges administer the NCE programme successfully for a maximum of ten years prior to offering degree degrees. It stated that at this time, curriculum development, accreditation schedules, enough academic programming, staff capacity building, and collecting sufficient experience will all be possible to provide a smooth transition to degree programmes.
In order to ensure that NCE content flows naturally into degree courses without duplication, the letter highlighted the importance of close collaboration between the National Universities Commission (NUC) and NCCE throughout curriculum development.