The Federal Government has announced plans to phase out the policy separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) after discovering that more than 20 million pupils leave school before reaching the senior secondary level.
The decision was made public on Tuesday in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee.
Alausa said findings by the ministry showed that the policy, which requires junior and senior secondary schools to operate as separate institutions with different principals and facilities, has not achieved its intended purpose. According to him, the country has about 80,000 public primary schools but only around 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a large gap in the education system.
He explained that the shortage of junior secondary schools has contributed to overcrowded classrooms, while many senior secondary schools remain underused in several parts of the country, including Kaduna and other northern states. He added that the arrangement has affected the smooth transition of pupils from primary school to higher levels of education.
The minister said the Federal Government would present a proposal to abolish the separation policy at the next meeting of the National Council on Education. He noted that the planned change is expected to improve access to education and increase the number of pupils moving from one level of schooling to the next.
Alausa also admitted that previous efforts to improve school transition rates did not produce the expected results. He, however, assured that the current administration is determined to tackle the problem and improve learning opportunities for Nigerian children.
At the same event, the minister inaugurated a committee headed by Professor Rashid Aderinoye to supervise projects funded by the Universal Basic Education Commission. The committee will monitor the completion of Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools, ensure they are handed over to state governments and make sure they begin academic activities.
According to the minister, although UBEC has invested in hundreds of these schools across the country, many projects have either remained unfinished or have not admitted students. He described the situation as a poor use of public resources and said the government wants completed facilities to begin serving learners.
Nigeria continues to face one of the world’s largest out-of-school children populations, with millions of school-age children, especially in rural communities and areas affected by insecurity, still lacking access to formal education.
Education stakeholders have repeatedly called for better use of existing school infrastructure alongside the construction of new schools to improve access to learning across the country.