The Federal Government has announced plans to phase out the long-standing policy that separates the administration of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), describing the arrangement as a failed reform that has contributed to Nigeria's worsening school dropout crisis.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by Nigeria's Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee in Abuja.
According to the minister, government data revealed that more than 20 million children who enrolled in primary school never progressed to senior secondary education, exposing a major weakness in Nigeria's education system. He noted that while the country has about 80,000 public primary schools, there are only around 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating severe overcrowding at the JSS level while many senior secondary schools remain underutilized.
Dr. Alausa blamed the "disarticulation policy," which requires JSS and SSS to operate with separate principals, management structures and facilities, for creating unnecessary administrative barriers that hinder students from smoothly transitioning into senior secondary education.
"This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. It is about doing what is best for every Nigerian child," the minister said.
He directed officials of the Federal Ministry of Education to prepare a position paper that will be presented to the National Council on Education (NCE), Nigeria's highest education policy-making body, for approval of the proposed reform.
Beyond the policy review, the minister inaugurated a committee chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye to fast-track the completion and operation of Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools funded by UBEC across the country.
The committee has been tasked with removing implementation bottlenecks, ensuring projects are completed, handed over to state governments, properly equipped, staffed and opened to learners.
According to the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Aisha Garba, 37 Smart Schools have been established nationwide, with 24 already operational, while the remaining schools are at different stages of completion. She also disclosed that 30 Bilingual Schools have been established across nine states under the UBEC–Islamic Development Bank programme.
Dr. Alausa stressed that no publicly funded educational facility should remain abandoned, saying every completed school left unused represents a waste of public resources and a lost opportunity for Nigerian children.
TwisdicInfo Insight: The proposed reform could become one of the most significant changes to Nigeria's secondary education system in years. If approved by the National Council on Education, it is expected to simplify students' transition from junior to senior secondary school, reduce dropout rates, improve access to education, and ensure government investments in Smart Schools and other education projects deliver measurable learning outcomes.
Sources: Punch Newspapers, Premium Times, The Nation,