NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR COLLEGES OF EDUCATION (NCCE)
www.ncceonline.org
The National Commission for Colleges of Education was established by Decree (now Act) 13 of 17th January, 1989 (Amended Act 12 of 1993) as a completion of tripod of excellence in the supervision of higher education in the country.
The establishment of the commission was a resultant effect of the utmost importance accorded to quality teacher education by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Since inception, the Commission has continuously pursued goals of quality assurance in teacher education. The pride of the commission is based on the seminal philosophy in the National Policy on Education (NAPE) which states that "no education can rise above the quality of its teachers.
For over one and a half decade of its existence, the commission had ensured that teacher education contributed immeasurably into national development. In pursuit of its objectives, the commission had standardized and continuously reviewed the curriculum of the Colleges of Education. This constant review of the curriculum had strengthened the capacity of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) graduates. After the laying down of minimum requirements for the Colleges of Education, the Commission had gone ahead to accredit their courses. The accreditation of the courses is carried out once in five years
Functions of NCCE
The enabling Decree (now Act) No. 3 of January 1989 (amended decree No. 12 1993) mandated the Commission to perform the following functions:
a. Make recommendations on the national policy necessary for the full development of teacher education and the training of teachers.
b. Lay down minimum standards for all programmes of teacher education and accredit their certificates and other academic awards after obtaining thereof prior approval of the Honorable Minister of Education.
c. Approve guidelines setting out criteria for accreditation of all Colleges of Education in Nigeria.
d. Determine the qualified teachers needs of Nigeria for the purpose of planning facilities and in particular prepare periodic master plans for the balanced and coordinated development of Colleges of Education.
e. Inquire into and advise the Federal Government on the financial needs of the Colleges to enable them meet the objectives of producing the trained qualified teachers of the country.
f. Receive block grants from the Federal Government and allocate them to the Colleges of Education.
g. Act as the agency for channeling all external aids to Colleges of Education in Nigeria.
h. Harmonise entry requirements and duration of courses at the Colleges of Education.
i. Collate, analyse and publish relevant information relating to teacher education in Nigeria.
j. Advise on and take measures to improve immediate and long term prospects of technical and business education teachers with respect to status and remuneration.
k. Provide encouragement for women to enter a wide range of pre-vocational courses in technical education.
Over the years, the commission could boast of continuously achieving all these objectives. In addition, it had gone extra mile to bring in new innovations towards the development of teacher education in Nigeria