Professor Paulinus Chijioke, the sixth substantive Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), has announced that selected Nigerian Colleges of Education will, from the 2025/2026 academic session, run both Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programs concurrently.

The policy, known as the dual mandate, will begin with a pilot phase involving 18 colleges across the country.

Explaining the initiative in a recent interview, Prof. Chijioke said it was made possible by amendments to the 1989 Act establishing Colleges of Education, with the most recent amendment in 2023 granting legal backing for degree programs.

“When we made an assessment of the level of facilities and resources generally, both human and physical facilities in these colleges, we found out that there are so many that are almost underutilized if we continue to run only the NCE. It was based on this fact that we put a proposal forward for the dual mandate,” he said.

According to him, many of the colleges already have the necessary facilities and academic staff, having previously awarded degrees through affiliations with universities. He stressed that government investment in infrastructure, faculty development, and TETFund support has positioned them to take on both responsibilities.

The Executive Secretary said the dual mandate would resolve challenges in student progression, allowing NCE graduates to seamlessly transition to degree programs within their colleges.

“The colleges of education are created only to train teachers. NCE is for basic education, while degree holders are for senior secondary schools,” Chijioke explained.

He assured that the selection of the 18 colleges was based on verified resources, accreditation status, and demonstrated capacity to run degree programs. Addressing concerns of discrimination against degree holders from colleges of education, he stated that the law guarantees equal recognition.

“The dignity of teachers will be restored in the society,” Chijioke added, noting that ongoing government incentives such as rural allowances, scholarships, and the 65-year retirement age policy are gradually being enforced despite challenges at the state level.

He also highlighted reforms aimed at improving teacher education, including curriculum reviews in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), tighter quality assurance mechanisms, monitoring of illegal institutions, and support for blended learning.

On the challenges of declining enrollment, Chijioke admitted that public apathy toward the teaching profession remains an issue but expressed optimism that the dual mandate and government incentives would make teaching more attractive.

He further outlined some of NCCE’s recent achievements, including the resolution of industrial disputes in colleges, enhanced staff welfare, sponsorship of lecturers for postgraduate studies, and preparation of colleges for the dual mandate rollout.

While acknowledging that funding remains a major constraint, the Executive Secretary maintained that the Commission continues to fulfill its oversight role effectively. “We are carrying out accreditation, monitoring, and resource verification across the colleges despite financial limitations,” he said.