… Introduces AI-Focused NCE Standards
The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has begun a comprehensive review of the curriculum for Colleges of Education and the 2020 Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) Minimum Standards, in a major move aimed at strengthening the quality and relevance of teacher education in Nigeria.
The review exercise was formally flagged off at the Nasarawa College of Education, Akwanga, where the Executive Secretary of the NCCE, Professor Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle, said the initiative was designed to close identified gaps in teacher preparation while aligning training with national development priorities, global education trends, and the realities facing teacher education institutions.
Professor Okwelle explained that the process brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including teacher educators, policymakers, classroom practitioners, and development partners, whose collective expertise is expected to shape a more responsive and forward-looking curriculum.
A key feature of the ongoing review, he noted, is the planned integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital competencies into the revised NCE Minimum Standards.
According to him, this reflects global shifts in education delivery and the evolving demands of the future workplace.
“The revised NCE Minimum Standards will embed AI awareness, ethical use of emerging technologies, data literacy, and adaptive digital pedagogy,
“This will ensure that future teachers are not merely consumers of technology but effective facilitators of AI-enabled learning” he stated.
He added that the proposed framework would equip Nigerian teachers to function confidently in technology-rich classrooms, while aligning teacher education with international best practices and the country’s long-term development goals.
Okwelle recalled that the National Policy on Education (2013, revised) recognises the NCE as the minimum qualification for entry into the teaching profession at the basic education level, underscoring the national importance of maintaining high-quality and relevant minimum standards.
“The goal of the NCCE is to produce Minimum Standards that are academically sound, practically implementable, globally competitive, and responsive to the needs of today’s classrooms” he noted.
The Professor further highlighted the commission’s ongoing reform agenda aimed at repositioning Colleges of Education for quality, relevance, and sustainability.
Central to these reforms, he said, is the successful implementation of the dual-mode mandate, which now empowers Colleges of Education to award Bachelor’s degrees in Education independently, without university affiliation.
Describing the reform as a landmark development, Okwelle said it would expand access to teacher education, strengthen institutional autonomy, improve enrolment, and rebuild public confidence in Colleges of Education as credible centres for professional teacher training.
He commended the Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, for his commitment to advancing teacher education and for attending the flag-off ceremony.
Okwelle stressed that the future of Nigeria’s education system depends largely on the quality of its teachers and urged all stakeholders to participate actively and collaboratively in the review process.
He expressed confidence that the outcome would significantly improve the quality of teachers produced and enhance the standard of basic education across the country, ultimately securing Nigeria’s educational future.