NCCE Defends Scrapping UTME for Colleges of Education, Says Move Will Revive Teaching Profession

The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Dr. (Mrs.) Angela Ajala, has defended the Federal Government’s decision to scrap the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) requirement for admission into Colleges of Education, insisting that the move is aimed at strengthening teacher education rather than weakening academic standards.

Ajala dismissed criticisms that the policy would lower admission quality, arguing that the UTME should not be viewed as a definitive measure of academic ability.

“What is UTME? It is a two-hour examination. It is not an achievement test. Decisions like these were not taken arbitrarily; they were based on evidence, data and projections about the future of teacher education in Nigeria,” she said.

Speaking during a meeting with members of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, she warned that Nigeria could face a critical shortage of qualified teachers within the next six years if urgent steps are not taken to boost enrolment into teacher-training institutions.

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Ajala expressed concern over declining student numbers in some colleges, noting that several programmes currently operate with as few as 30 students spread across multiple departments. She described the trend as unsustainable and alarming.

“In some colleges, you find only about 30 students spread across 10 programmes. The attrition rate is alarming. If we do not act now, Nigeria may not have enough teachers in the near future,” she cautioned.

The NCCE boss stressed that the future of the country is closely tied to the quality and availability of teachers, warning that no nation can rise above the standard of its education system.

According to her, years of neglect, misrepresentation, and declining respect for the teaching profession have contributed significantly to the current crisis in teacher education.

“If you get it wrong with a teacher, just know that Nigeria is finished. Every engineer, doctor, scientist, entrepreneur, politician and leader passes through the hands of a teacher. Teacher education lies at the heart of national development,” she declared.

She also challenged the long-standing perception of teaching as a fallback profession, describing it as a harmful narrative that has weakened the education sector over time.

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Ajala further emphasized the far-reaching influence of teachers on society, comparing their impact to other professions and warning that poor training in the classroom can have generational consequences.

“You can fix a faulty car. But when a teacher damages a child in the classroom, that damage can last a lifetime. Those children become the future professionals and leaders of society,” she said.