NATIONAL TEACHERS' INSTITUTE ACT

(1) There is hereby established an institute to be known as the National Teachers' Institute (in this Act referred to as "the Institute").
(2) There shall be established for the management of the affairs of the Institute a council to be known as the National Teachers' Institute Council (in this Act referred to as "the Council") which shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal.

(1) The Council shall consist of a chairman and the following other members, that is
(a) the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education of Nigeria or his representative;
(b) the Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria or his representative;
(c) the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority or his representative;
(d) two persons selected from universities in Nigeria;
(e) the Director of the Institute;
(f) two persons chosen on the basis of their individual contributions to the development of education in Nigeria;
(g) a representative from each State Ministry of Education; and
(h) a representative of the Nigerian Union of Teachers.
(2) The chairman and members of the Council shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister.
(3) The members specified in paragraphs (a) to (d) of subsection (1) of this section are hereafter referred to as "ex-officio members".
(4) The provisions of the Schedule to this Act shall have effect with respect to the constitution of the Council and the other matters therein mentioned.

It shall be the duty of the Council to(a) organise and provide programmes for the training, development, upgrading and certification of teachers;
(b) conduct postgraduate courses and examinations in education for graduate teachers;
(c) carry out research in conjunction with other bodies on any matter relevant to educational development in Nigeria;
(d) formulate policies and initiate programmes at all levels of education designed to improve, by way of research, the quality and content of education in Nigeria;
(e) assess, from time to time, the training programmes offered by institutions controlled by or associated with the Institute with a view to ascertaining the professional competence of those institutions;
(f) offer such assistance, either alone or in co-operation with educational bodies, as may be requested by the institutions controlled by or associated with the Institute;
(g) foster and enhance international co-operation in the education of teachers; and
(h) perform such other functions as are necessary or expedient for the full discharge of any of the functions of the Institute under this Act.

(1) There shall be a Director of the Institute (in this Act referred to as "the Director") who shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister.
(2) Subject to the general control of the Council, the Director shall be the chief executive of the Institute and shall be charged with general responsibility for matters relating to the day-to-day management and operations of the Institute.

(1) The Council shall appoint a registrar to the Institute (in this Act referred to as "the registrar") who shall be an officer but not a member of the Council and who shall keep the records and conduct the correspondence of the Council and shall perform such other duties as the Director or the Council may, from time to time, direct.
(2) The registrar shall, in addition to the other duties conferred on him by or under this Act, act as the secretary to the Council and every committee thereof and in his absence, the Council or any of its committees may appoint some other person to act as secretary.
(3) The Council may appoint such other persons to be employees of the Council as the Council may determine to assist the Director in the exercise of his functions under this Act.
(4) The remuneration and tenure of office and conditions of service of the registrar and other employees of the Council shall be determined by the Council in consultation with the Federal Civil Service Commission.

(1)
The Federal Civil Service Commission may by order published in the Federal Gazette declare the office of the Director or of any person employed by the Council to be a pensionable office for the purposes of the Pensions Act.
(2)
Subject to the provisions of subsections (3) and (4) of this section, the Pensions Act shall, in its application by virtue of subsection (1) of this section to any office, have effect as if the office were in the public service of the Federation within the meaning of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
(3) For the purposes of the application of the provisions of the Pensions Act in accordance with subsection (2) of this section
(a) section 21 of that Act shall have effect as if for references to the Minister there were substituted references to the Council; and
(b) the power under section 4 (2) of that Act shall be exercisable by the Council.
(4) Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this section shall prevent the appointment of a person to any office on terms which preclude the grant of a pension or gratuity in respect of service in that office.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Council shall be the governing body of the Institute and shall have the general management of the affairs of the Institute, and in particular, the general control of the Institute and power to do anything which in its opinion is calculated to facilitate the carrying out of the objects of the Institute and to promote its best interests.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, the Council shall have and exercise the following powers to
(a) establish and maintain such schools, extra-mural departments and other teaching units within the Institute as the Council may, from time to time, decide;
(b) provide such courses of instruction either alone or in association with such universities and other institutions, whether in Nigeria or not, as the Council may determine, and conduct examinations and award such diplomas and certificates to those reaching a certain standard as a result of those examinations as may seem appropriate to the Council;
(c) institute and award fellowships, medals, prizes and other titles;
(d) mount exhibitions and displays designed to foster an appreciation of trends in, and the scope and requirements of education;
(e) erect, provide, equip and maintain such educational, recreational and residential facilities as the Institute may require;
(f) create lectureships and other academic posts and offices and to make appointments thereto; and
(g) encourage and make provision for research in the Institute.

(1) The Council may accept gifts of land, money or other property upon such trusts and conditions, if any, as may be specified by the person making the gift.
(2) The Council shall not accept any gift if the conditions attached by the person making the gift are inconsistent with the functions of the Council under this Act.

(1) For the purpose of providing offices and premises necessary for the performance of its functions, the Council may
(a) purchase or take on lease any land; and
(b) build, equip and maintain offices and premises.
(2) The Council may, with the approval of the Minister, sell or lease any land, offices or premises held by it and no longer required for the performance of its functions.

(1) The Council shall submit to the Minister not later than three months before the end of the financial year an estimate of its revenue and expenditure for the next succeeding financial year.
(2) The Council shall establish and maintain a fund from which there shall be defrayed all expenditure incurred by the Council.
(3) There shall be paid and credited to the fund established under subsection (2) of this section
(a) such sums as may, from time to time, be granted to the Council by the Federal Government;
(b) all moneys raised for the purposes of the Council by way of gifts, grants-in-aid, testamentary dispositions and sales of publications; and
(c) all subscriptions, fees and charges for services rendered by the Council and all other sums that may accrue to the Council from any source.

The Council shall keep proper accounts of its receipts, payments, assets and liabilities and shall in respect of each year cause the accounts to be audited by auditors approved, as respects that year, by the Minister of Finance appointed from the list of auditors and in accordance with the guidelines supplied by the Auditor-General for the Federation.

(1) The Council shall prepare and submit to the Minister not later than 30 June in each year a report in such form as the Minister may direct on the activities of the Council during the immediately preceding year, and shall include in the report a copy of the audited accounts of the Council for that year and of the auditors report on the accounts.
(2) The Minister shall cause a copy of the report made to him under this section to be laid before the President so soon after the receipt thereof as may be convenient.

(1) There shall be established as an integral part of the Institute, the following bodies, that is
(a) the School of General Studies;
(b) the School of Educational Innovation;
(c) the School of Advanced Studies;
(d) the Facilities Department;
(e) the Field Centres.
(2) The School of General Studies shall be charged with the duty of
(a) providing courses of instruction leading to the development, upgrading and certification of teachers as specified in the relevant syllabus and using distance education and techniques;
(b) providing special courses, whether or not directed towards the Institutes certificates, for all students at institutions controlled by the Institute and taking into account the educational requirements of Nigeria;
(c) arranging educational conferences, seminars and workshops and other activities of a similar nature as are relevant to its duties under this Act; and
(d) performing such other functions as the Council may, from time to time, direct.
(3) The School of Educational Innovation shall be charged with the duty of
(a) conducting research in the field of education and co-ordinating the research activities of the Institute;
(b) continuously evaluating apparatus, materials and methods and modes of instruction at institutions controlled by, or in association with the Institute; and
(c) studying and adapting new methods and techniques of instruction to meet the requirements of education in Nigeria.
(4) The School of Advanced Studies shall be charged with the duty of
(a) conducting courses of instruction leading to the award of diplomas, certificates and other qualifications as the Council may, from time to time, direct;
(b) conducting other courses, whether leading to the Institutes recognised certificates or not, as the educational requirements in Nigeria may demand;
(c) arranging conferences, seminars and study groups as are relevant to its duties under this Act; and
(d) performing other duties as the Council may, from time to time, direct.
(5) The Facilities Department shall be charged with the responsibility for
(a) the procurement, development and distribution of all educational materials to institutions controlled or associated with the Institute;
(b) maintaining a register each in respect of teachers and students of the Institute;
(c) making available to all institutions controlled by or associated with the Institute data collected or processed by the Department;
(d) making available data processing and production facilities as the institutions controlled by or associated with the Institute may require.
(6) The Field Centres shall be charged with responsibility for
(a) providing practical teaching services for students registered at any of the institutions controlled by or associated with the Institute;
(b) providing educational facilities for students registered at any of the institutions controlled or associated with the Institute;
(c) distributing equipment for practical teaching to students registered at any of the institutions controlled or associated with the Institute; and
(d) providing liaison services between the Institute, local government administrative organs and other bodies.

(1) The Council may make rules providing for a proper person to conduct enquiries into alleged breaches of discipline (including lack of diligence) by students; and such rules may make different provisions for different circumstances.
(2) The rules shall provide for the procedure to be followed and the evidence to be observed at enquiries under this section.
(3) The Council may, if it finds the allegations proved, impose on the student concerned one or more of the following penalties, that is
(a) expulsion from all or any of the institutions controlled by the Council;
(b) suspension for a specified period of his entitlement to use any of the facilities controlled by the Council;
(c) a fine in an amount not exceeding N100, and shall send a report of the enquiry to the Minister.
(4) Any student to whom any of the penalties provided for in subsection (3) of this section is imposed may, at any time within 28 days from the date of imposition of such penalty, appeal to the Minister.
(5) The decision of the Council shall have effect from the date of making of the decision unless reversed by the Minister on an appeal.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Minister may give to the Council directions of a general character or relating generally to matters of policy with regard to the exercise by the Council of its functions under this Act and it shall be the duty of the Council to comply with such directions.

(1) The Minister may make regulations generally for the purposes of this Act.
(2) Without prejudice to the general power conferred by subsection (1) of this section, the regulations may
(a) prescribe the procedure to be followed in respect of disciplinary actions against any member of the staff;
(b) prescribe any other thing falling to be prescribed.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
"chairman" means the chairman of the Council;
"Council" means the National Teachers' Institute Council established by section 1 (2) of this Act;
"Director" means the Director of the Institute appointed under section 4 of this Act;
"function" includes powers and duties;
"Institute" means the National Teachers' Institute established by section 1 (1) of this Act;
"Minister" means the Minister responsible for matters relating to education.

This Act may be cited as the National Teachers Institute Act.