The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has explained that a new policy affecting colleges of education is aimed at increasing student enrolment and improving teacher training across the country.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, JAMB Public Communication Advisor Dr. Fabian Benjamin said the policy was introduced because many colleges of education have been recording very low enrolment in recent years, with some institutions filling less than 20 percent of their available spaces.
Benjamin said candidates seeking admission into National Certificate in Education programs will still register with JAMB but may not need to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination because demand for the programs is low.
He said the policy is designed to help colleges of education focus on training teachers through the NCE route before students continue directly to degree programs.
Under the new arrangement, colleges of education are expected to stop admitting students directly into degree programs through affiliate universities. Instead, students will begin with NCE studies and then progress to degree programs within the same institution once it has the required facilities and approval.
Benjamin said colleges of education have been given the opportunity to improve their infrastructure, teaching staff and learning facilities so they can award degrees independently.
He added that the policy is part of a long-term plan agreed upon by education stakeholders to strengthen teacher education, improve the image of the teaching profession and increase the number of qualified teachers in Nigeria.
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