”At the post-examination analysis held to conduct a post mortem of the examination, the Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed that the mock- examination, conducted in 757 centres across the nation, was held with little or no hitches. He stated that the board was primed to deliver the most seamless examination ever, come May 6. The statement also quoted the Registrar as advising proprietors of Computer-Based Tests (CBT) centres nationwide, not to rest on their oars, but consolidate on the success recorded in the mock exercise. Oloyede added that the centres must deliver a better outcome in the main examination in May. He reiterated that the mock examination was instituted to principally test its facilities and ascertain its readiness for the main UTME. It was also instituted, he explained, to provide candidates with the opportunity to experience the testing system and how to apply it in the main examination. ” Taking the mock examination had proved to be one of the most effective tests of readiness for the main examination, ” Oloyede said. NAN reports that a total of 1.8 million candidates had been registered for this year’s main UTME The Informant247

JAMB ends admissions into affiliated degree programmes in colleges of education

BySulyman Pakoyi

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has abolished admissions into affiliated degree programmes offered by colleges of education across Nigeria, effective from the 2026/2027 academic session.

The decision, contained in the board’s newly released NCE/ND Agric Registration Guidelines issued by the Office of the Registrar in June 2026, marks a significant shift in the country’s teacher education system.

Under the new policy, all admissions into colleges of education will now be through the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programme, ending the long-standing practice of admitting students directly into degree programmes run in affiliation with universities.
JAMB stated that no admissions would be permitted into any affiliated degree programme from the 2026/2027 academic session.

“With effect from the 2026/2027 session, no admission into 100 or 200 level is allowed into any college of education. All entrants are through NCE,” the board said.
The policy effectively brings an end to affiliated degree programmes that have enabled colleges of education to award bachelor’s degrees through partnerships with conventional universities for decades.

To ease the transition, JAMB outlined options for candidates who had already applied for affiliated degree programmes through Direct Entry. Such candidates may switch institutions at no cost, transfer to the parent university offering the affiliated degree, or make their second-choice institution their first choice for admission consideration.

“A candidate may choose to be moved to the parent university to which the degree programme is affiliated,” the board stated.

The board added that affected candidates were given until June 22 to complete the necessary changes.

Candidates seeking admission through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) into affiliated colleges of education have also been offered alternatives, including changing institutions, elevating a second-choice institution to first choice, or migrating to the NCE programme.

According to JAMB, candidates who choose the NCE option will be required to obtain an O’Level verification code from the relevant examination body and pay a registration fee of N700 through the board’s portal.

“The candidate may be moved to the NCE programme of the institution, on the understanding that the choice of the college of education indicates an interest in pursuing the NCE qualification,” the board explained.
The board further introduced compulsory O’Level verification for all NCE applicants, with verification fees fixed at N1,500 for one sitting and N2,000 for two sittings.

JAMB directed colleges of education, Institutional Professional Registration Centres (IPRCs), Professional Registration Centres (PRCs), accredited Computer-Based Test centres and its personnel nationwide to study the new guidelines and ensure strict compliance.

“All PRCs, IPRCs and officers of the board are to study the guidelines and ensure strict compliance with the information contained therein,” the Registrar said.

The board noted that every application for NCE admission would be regarded as a deliberate choice. It added that candidates recommended for NCE admission would automatically have any ongoing UTME or Direct Entry admission process suspended.

“Anyone who chooses NCE and is proposed or recommended would have any ongoing UTME/DE process suspended,” JAMB stated.

JAMB also disclosed that details of candidates who had already applied through the 2026 UTME would be automatically migrated to their selected first-choice colleges of education or agric-related non-technology National Diploma programmes.

The new policy reinforces the NCE as the primary qualification route for teacher education in Nigeria and formally ends fresh admissions into affiliated degree programmes offered by colleges of education.

Sulyman Pakoyi is a mass communication graduate with a keen interest in developmental journalism and fact-checking. His work focuses on promoting accurate information and reporting on issues that impact communities and social progress.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.