Abuja, Nigeria – Fresh concerns are emerging over the future of teacher education in Nigeria following a sharp decline in admissions into Federal Colleges of Education (FCEs), a trend experts warn could lead to a nationwide shortage of qualified teachers within the next six years.
An analysis of data from the Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance Transparency Portal revealed that admissions into 19 Federal Colleges of Education with publicly available records fell from 67,254 students in 2022 to 55,833 in 2024—a decline of 11,421 students, representing nearly 17 percent over two years.
The transparency portal, managed by the Federal Ministry of Education, monitors institutional performance, including admissions, funding, student enrolment, and capital expenditure across federal tertiary institutions.
The assessment focused on 19 of the 27 Federal Colleges of Education listed on the portal, as only those institutions had complete admission records for both 2022 and 2024.
Major Decline Across Colleges
The analysis showed that while a few colleges recorded growth in admissions, most institutions experienced significant declines.
The Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe, recorded one of the steepest drops, with admissions falling from 10,115 in 2022 to 6,618 in 2024. Similarly, the Federal College of Education, Oyo, saw admissions decline from 7,376 to 5,128, while the Federal College of Education, Katsina, recorded a decrease from 7,567 to 5,203 students.
Other institutions with notable declines include:
- Federal College of Education, Potiskum (Yobe): 3,520 to 1,787 admissions.
- Federal College of Education (Technical), Gusau (Zamfara): 2,878 to 1,853.
- Federal College of Education, Iwo (Osun): 824 to 592.
- Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze (Anambra): 666 to 416.
- Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu (Ebonyi): 116 to just 38 admissions.
- Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka (Lagos): 3,509 to 2,746.
- Federal College of Education, Ekiadolor (Edo): 320 to 290.
Some Institutions Defy the Trend
Despite the nationwide decline, a handful of colleges recorded increased admissions during the review period.
The Federal College of Education (Technical), Bichi, Kano State, increased its student intake from 7,136 in 2022 to 8,546 in 2024. The Federal College of Education, Okene (Kogi State) also recorded growth, rising from 1,642 to 2,073 admissions, while the Federal College of Education, Gidan-Madi (Sokoto State) increased enrolment from 290 to 481 students.
In terms of total admissions for 2024, the Federal College of Education, Yola (Adamawa State) recorded the highest intake with 8,747 students, followed by FCE (Technical), Bichi with 8,546, FCE (Technical), Gombe with 6,618, FCE Katsina with 5,203, FCE Oyo with 5,128, and FCE Eha-Amufu (Enugu State) with 5,043.
At the opposite end, FCE (Technical), Isu, Ebonyi State, recorded the lowest admission figure with only 38 students in 2024.
Missing Data Raises Questions
The review also found that several Federal Colleges of Education received budget allocations but failed to publish admission data for some or all of the years reviewed.
These institutions include FCE Gwoza (Borno), FCE Ididep (Akwa Ibom), FCE Ofeme-Ohuhu (Abia), FCE (Technical), Keana (Nasarawa), FCE Abeokuta (Ogun), FCE Jama’are (Bauchi), and FCE (Technical), Omoku (Rivers).
No official explanation was provided for the missing records.
Experts Warn of Future Teacher Shortage
The declining enrolment has intensified concerns about Nigeria’s future teacher workforce.
Speaking recently in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Dr. Angela Ajala, warned that Nigeria could face a severe shortage of qualified teachers within six years if enrolment into teacher-training institutions is not significantly increased.
She noted that some colleges currently have as few as 30 students spread across 10 academic programmes, describing the attrition rate as alarming.
Ajala stressed that teacher education remains the foundation of national development.
“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 said.
Government Introduces Reforms
To reverse the declining interest in teacher education, the NCCE has begun implementing reforms, including a dual mandate that will allow Colleges of Education to award both the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and bachelor’s degrees, while equipping graduates with internationally recognised skills certifications.
The Federal Government has also introduced new measures to boost enrolment.
Earlier this year, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the removal of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) requirement for admission into NCE programmes in Colleges of Education nationwide, as well as National Diploma programmes in non-technology agriculture and related fields.
Under the new policy, applicants are still required to obtain JAMB application forms and process admissions through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) while meeting existing admission requirements.
Call for Stronger Incentives
Although the available data does not explain the reasons behind the declining admissions, education stakeholders continue to advocate for improved funding, better learning facilities, stronger incentives, and sustained public awareness campaigns to restore confidence in teacher education and ensure Nigeria has enough qualified teachers to meet future educational demands.
