The Federal government has announced a major overhaul of Nigeria’s education structure, moving to scrap the separation of Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS), describing the policy as a failure that has contributed to the country’s growing out-of-school crisis.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the announcement on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, saying the Tinubu administration was determined to reverse years of declining educational outcomes by creating a seamless transition from primary to secondary education.
Alausa said the existing arrangement, which separates junior and senior secondary schools under the country’s 6-3-3-4 education system, has left millions of children stranded after completing primary school.
According to him, Nigeria currently has about 80,000 public primary schools but only 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a significant transition gap that has fuelled the country’s out-of-school population.
He disclosed that while about 24 million children enroll in primary schools across the country, only about four million complete senior secondary education.
“About 24 million children enrol in our primary schools, but only about four million of them complete senior secondary. We have over 20 million children dropping out between primary school and junior secondary school. Where are those students?” the minister asked.
He blamed the trend on the policy separating JSS from SSS, saying it has resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools while many senior secondary schools remain underutilised.
“The previous governments may have failed in this regard, but this government will not fail. We are fixing this. We need to create more opportunities for children to move seamlessly through the education system.
“We have overflowing junior secondary schools and empty senior secondary schools. I can objectively report today that this disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We cannot continue creating administrative positions while damaging our education system. It is about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” Alausa said.
He explained that the proposal to abolish the policy would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for formal consideration and approval.
The minister also inaugurated a high-powered implementation and monitoring committee chaired by education expert, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to accelerate the completion, handover, and operation of hundreds of Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools funded by UBEC across the country.
Alausa lamented that despite substantial public investment, many of the schools had either been abandoned or completed without being handed over to state governments for academic activities.
He described the situation as a waste of public resources and a denial of learning opportunities to thousands of Nigerian children.
“The purpose of these schools is to educate children, not to remain locked up after completion,” he said, charging the committee to eliminate implementation bottlenecks and ensure the facilities begin serving their intended purpose.
Earlier, UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, said the Federal Government had made notable progress in expanding access to quality basic education through the Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools programmes.
She disclosed that 37 Smart Schools had been established nationwide, with 24 already operational, while the remaining schools were at different stages of completion, furnishing, and preparation for academic activities.
Garba added that under the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme, 30 schools had been established across nine states, with three boarding schools already commissioned and four others substantially completed awaiting inauguration.
She further stated that the Alternative Schools Programme was helping to expand access to education for vulnerable and out-of-school children through flexible and inclusive learning models.
According to her, the newly inaugurated committee will oversee project implementation, ensure the timely completion and handover of schools, resolve implementation challenges, and guarantee that government investments translate into fully functional learning centres.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Prof. Aderinoye pledged that members would carry out their assignment with diligence, transparency, and accountability, assuring that they would work to remove obstacles delaying project delivery and improve access to quality education across Nigeria.
