Explainer: What dual mandate policy means for teaching profession

Nigeria is overhauling its teacher training system with the introduction of a dual mandate policy, aiming to boost the quality and professionalism of educators.

The policy allows qualified colleges of education to award both the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and Bachelor’s Degrees in Education, giving them more autonomy and reducing reliance on university affiliations.

The move is part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s education system, recognising the critical role teachers play in national development. By empowering colleges of education to take charge of degree programmes, the government hopes to enhance teacher preparation and raise professional standards.

The dual mandate policy is set to roll out across federal colleges of education in the 2026/27 academic year, following the enactment of the Federal Colleges of Education Act, 2023.

This legislation, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, empowers federal colleges of education to concurrently award NCE and first degrees in education, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s teacher education reform.

According to the Act, all federal colleges of education that meet the National Universities Commission (NUC) standards are now eligible to operate under the dual mandate.

Boriowo Folasade, director of press and public relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, emphasised that offering degrees within FCOEs equips educators with higher competencies to meet the evolving demands of the education sector.

How the dual mandate operates

The new policy means that students admitted for NCE will be required to complete the three-year course; after which, upon meeting university admission requirements, they will seamlessly transition directly into a two-year degree programme within the same college, earning a B.Ed without needing university affiliation.

Simply put, the ‘dual mandate’ for colleges of education is a system where a single tertiary institution is authorised to independently award both foundational teaching diplomas (NCE) and full Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degrees.

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According to Josiah Ajiboye, former registrar of TRCN, “This transition aims to resolve structural challenges in teacher education, enhance professionalism, and expand access to quality higher education.”

The goals

The policy is expected, among others, to create autonomous, degree-awarding institutions capable of innovation and tailored curricula development.

Besides, it will address the declining enrolment into teacher training programmes and strengthen the quality and status of the teaching profession.

“It’ll curb duplication and resource wastage associated with long-standing affiliation models,” Ajiboye explained.

Institutional realities

Before the enactment of the Act, over 85 percent of FCEs were affiliated with various universities for their degree programmes.

The former TRCN registrar emphasised that despite these affiliations, the facilities, staff, and instructional infrastructure were largely provided by the colleges.

“These historical arrangements, though functional, often led to administrative bottlenecks in programme accreditation and graduation timelines; limited academic freedom and contextual curriculum development; and fragmented oversight and regulatory complexities,” he said.

Hence, the dual mandate seeks to reverse these limitations by institutionalising autonomy in degree delivery while preserving the foundational NCE programme.

Furthermore, the policy grants greater autonomy to FCOEs in curriculum development and implementation, enabling them to respond more swiftly to emerging trends and needs in the teaching profession.

African countries with a dual mandate policy

Nigeria’s African peers operating a dual-mandate policy in colleges of education include Rwanda and Kenya.

Rwanda’s University of Rwanda – College of Education (UR-CE) absorbs and merges several former primary teacher training colleges into its system, operating dual pathways.

The system permits simultaneous teacher training tracks, where educators can exit with an Advanced Diploma (A1) or continue seamlessly to complete a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) to elevate teaching standards in basic education across the country.

While Kenya has integrated a dual-mandate approach primarily through its Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) in line with their Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) framework.

Colleges are increasingly transitioning from offering only certificate/diploma courses (Diploma in Teacher Education) to partnering with local universities to provide concurrent degree upskilling, allowing in-service and pre-service teachers to earn a bachelor’s degree without leaving their institutional networks.

Christopher Nmeribe, a teacher, described the dual mandate programme as a very important development in Nigeria’s education sector.

“Across the world, teacher training institutions have evolved beyond certificate-level preparation. A modern teaching workforce requires deeper academic knowledge, research capacity, digital competence, and professional specialisation.

“Allowing CoEs to award degrees could help reposition them as genuine centres of teacher education rather than being seen as second-tier institutions,” he said.

However, Nmeribe emphasised that the success of the dual mandate programme depends on whether the government is ready to invest in the institutions.

“If it becomes only a policy announcement without funding and monitoring, as has always been the case, it may dilute what little quality currently exists in the system,” he noted.

Following the amendment of the Federal Colleges of Education Act and ministerial directives via the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), over 28 federal colleges of education operate a five-year, integrated dual-mandate programme.