The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) are ready to commence the actualization of Dual-mandate with the 2024/2025 academic session. This was agreed upon during a meeting held between the Executive Secretary of, the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle and his counterpart the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr Chris Maiyaki on Tuesday, 13th August, 2024 at the NUC Headquarters, Abuja. Dual-mandate is the concurrent running of National Certificate in Education (NCE) and Bachelor Degree in Education (B.Ed.) programmes in Federal Colleges of Education (FCEs) in Nigeria. The Act mandating Federal Colleges of Education to offer the two programmes concurrently was signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, in 2023 an ACT to address the challenges facing teacher education in the country.

In his opening remarks, the Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Mr. Chris Maiyaki disclosed that over the years NUC has been having a cordial relationship with NCCE to achieve a common goal of enhancing Education quality in Nigeria. This good relationship has become stronger during the administration of Prof. Okwelle. He stressed further that the integration of dual-mandate is apt especially now that Education is among the core priorities of President Tinubu's administration. He revealed that currently, Nigeria has only 274 Universities comprising Federal, State and Privates which are not enough to cater for the number of candidates seeking admissions. Therefore, the upgrading of Federal Colleges of Education to award degrees would no doubt support bridging the gap in the demand for University Education in the country is a welcome development to reduce the level of illiteracy in Nigeria. Maiyaki further acknowledged the fact that some of the Colleges of Education are already running degree programmes in affiliations with Universities which shows that they have the capacity to run degrees on their own. Notwithstanding, the NUC would still carry out its statutory mandate of Resource Inspection visits to ensure adequate availability of manpower, infrastructures and readiness to mount degree programmes. He suggested that the Technical Committee be set up to advise on the strategies for the implementation and takeoff of Dual-Mandate academic activities during the 2024/2025 session as directed by the Honourable Minister of Education. Issues to be addressed by the Committee are Minimum Standards, Curriculum reviews, admission of candidates by JAMB, carrying TETFund along on the dual mandate and public awareness through advocacy. He finally thanked the NCCE Executive Secretary and his team for their efforts and passion for the upliftment of Teacher Education in Nigeria. He assured of NUC's full support for the seamless take-off of the Dual Mandate. In his response, the Executive Secretary of NCCE, Prof. Okwelle, appreciated the NUC Acting Executive Secretary and his Management for their support over the years. He said the Dual-Mandate in the country is an initiative that allows NCE holders to easily upgrade their teaching qualifications to degree status in various specialized courses especially in trade and skill subjects without enough qualified teachers both in primary and secondary schools today. Furthermore, Professor Okwelle reiterated the commitment of NCCE to actualising the Dual-Mandate initiative to address the current dearth of trained teachers in trade subjects. Okwelle clarified that the Federal Colleges of Education are not to be converted to Universities but run both the NCE and Degree in specialized programmes autonomously without affiliation. This will require a curriculum review to accommodate the special needs courses introduced at the basic level of Education and harmonized teaching courses in NCE to dovetail into the degree programme to avoid duplications. He revealed that the NCCE has started the process of reviewing the 2020 Edition of NCE Minimum Standards to accommodate the trade subjects. He said NUC will be part of the upcoming NCE curriculum review. He further outlined the criteria for running the Dual Mode as follows:

1. Only Federal Colleges of Education that are up to ten (10) years and above would be allowed to implement Dual-Mode.
2. Only NCE holders would be considered for admission into the degree programmes to be offered under the new initiative.
3. Award degrees through affiliations with Universities by Colleges of Education would be phased out.
4. Matured Federal Colleges of Education that would be approved to commence the Dual Mode during the 2024/2025 academic session are for pilot testing.

Prof. Okwelle rounded off by commending the synergy between NCCE and NUC on this novel initiative and promised to ensure that the reform succeeds. To forge ahead, the meeting set up an eight (8) man technical committee to come up with a working document to guide the implementation of the Dual Mode. The committee is expected to submit its report on 3rd September 2024. The meeting had in attendance, the Executive Secretaries and Management of NCCE and NUC, representatives of the Committee of Federal Provosts and officials of Unions in Colleges of Education in Nigeria.