The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has urged prospective students to consider colleges of education as their first choice when seeking admission into tertiary institutions to acquire teaching qualifications and practical skills.

The commission’s executive secretary, Angela Ajala, made the call in Abuja on Monday.

Ms Ajala said colleges of education across the country are positioned to strengthen teacher professional development and equip graduates with practical skills for economic independence.

She said the dual mandate would make colleges of education the preferred institutions over the next 10 years for prospective students seeking professional teaching qualifications and vocational competencies.

She explained that the dual mandate would enable colleges to offer the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programmes, and skills certificates, thereby broadening the opportunities available to students.

According to her, the initiative was designed to provide students with opportunities to develop professional expertise while acquiring skills that could support alternative sources of livelihood.

The NCCE boss said combining professional teacher training with practical skills acquisition would better equip graduates to meet the changing demands of the education sector and the labour market.

She added that the combination of the programmes would give graduates a broader range of competencies, potentially improving their employability and capacity to establish small businesses.

“The approach will make teacher education more comprehensive by preparing graduates not only to teach but also to apply practical competencies to income-generating activities. “With the implementation of the dual mandate, I envisage that the colleges of education will take priority over any tertiary institution in Nigeria,” she said.

‎Ms Ajala said the emphasis on practical skills was particularly important at a time when education stakeholders were increasingly recognising the need to equip young people with competencies beyond academic qualifications.

‎She argued that combining teaching with vocational training could help graduates explore opportunities in different sectors while contributing to the education system’s development.

‎‎The executive secretary expressed optimism that the initiative would improve the quality of teacher preparation and enable graduates to contribute more effectively to national development.

‎She said the approach could help reduce graduates’ dependence on a single source of employment by giving them additional skills they could use to earn a living.

Ms Ajala maintained that strengthening teacher education through the dual mandate would create opportunities for a more skilled teaching workforce and support the broader objective of ensuring that children receive quality education.

‎She expressed confidence in the initiative’s potential to improve Nigeria’s education sector, stressing that no child would suffer while looking for a job after graduation.