COEASU faults FG’s UTME waiver for NCE candidates

The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) and other educational stakeholders, including the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), have expressed strong reservations regarding the Federal Government’s new policy exempting candidates seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programs from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The policy was officially announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on May 11, 2026, during the JAMB Policy Meeting in Abuja.

The New Policy Details
Eligibility: Candidates with at least four credit passes in relevant subjects are now exempt from the UTME for NCE and non-technology agricultural National Diploma (ND) programs.

Registration Requirements: While the exam is waived, candidates must still register with JAMB.

Verification: Credentials must be screened and processed through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) to obtain an official admission letter.

Minimum Age: The government reaffirmed 16 years as the minimum age for tertiary admission, barring exceptional cases for gifted children.

Why COEASU and NUT are Faulting the Move
Union leaders have raised several critical concerns regarding the implications of this "waiver":

Decline in Quality and Prestige: NUT President, Audu Titus Amba, argued that the teaching profession should attract the brightest minds. He expressed concern that removing the exam requirement makes Colleges of Education look like a "last resort" or a "dumping ground" for those who couldn't get into universities.

Credibility of Graduates: Stakeholders fear the public will question the professional competence of future teachers if the entry evaluation standards are perceived as lowered.

Systemic Neglect: COEASU and other bodies argue that instead of waiving exams to fill empty seats, the government should provide better incentives—such as bursaries, improved infrastructure, and higher salary scales—to make teacher education naturally attractive to high-scoring UTME candidates.

The "Manage NCE" Stigma: Critics say this policy reinforces the negative Nigerian narrative of "go and manage NCE," further demoralizing current staff and students within the system.

Government’s Justification
The Ministry of Education maintains that the policy is a strategic move to:

Reduce Out-of-School Adolescents: By lowering barriers, the government hopes to absorb more students into tertiary institutions.

Utilize Capacity: Empirical data from JAMB shows that Colleges of Education have significant untapped space, especially for candidates in their host communities.

Encourage Specialized Fields: The waiver also applies to agricultural ND programs to boost national food security efforts.

This report from Independent Television (ITV) Nigeria provides a breakdown of the 2026 admission benchmarks and the official announcement of the UTME waiver by the Minister of Education.

This video is relevant because it captures the primary source of the news—the 2026 JAMB Policy Meeting—where the specific details of the NCE waiver and the 150 university cut-off mark were first disclosed.