The Federal Government has announced plans to discontinue the policy separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) following findings that over 20 million pupils drop out before progressing to the senior secondary level.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed the decision on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee.
According to the minister, the “disarticulation policy,” which requires JSS and SSS to function independently under separate principals and facilities, has failed to achieve its intended purpose.
“We have 20 million pupils dropping out between primary school and junior secondary school. Where are these children? We also discovered that Nigeria has about 80,000 public primary schools but only around 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a one-to-eight ratio,” Alausa said.
He explained that the disparity has led to overcrowded junior secondary schools while many senior secondary schools remain underutilised, particularly in Kaduna and several northern states.
“This policy has not worked and will be phased out. We cannot continue creating administrative positions at the expense of the education system. Our priority is to do what is best for every Nigerian child,” he added.
Alausa revealed that the proposal to abolish the policy will be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for consideration.
He noted that the reform is intended to improve access to education and boost learning outcomes, acknowledging previous shortcomings in transition rates while assuring that the current administration is committed to reversing the trend.
During the event, the minister also inaugurated a committee chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye to supervise UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools across the country.
The committee has been tasked with ensuring the projects are completed, handed over to state governments and opened for academic activities.
Although UBEC has invested heavily in hundreds of these schools nationwide, Alausa lamented that many remain unfinished or have yet to admit students, describing the situation as a poor use of public funds.
Nigeria continues to have one of the largest populations of out-of-school children globally, with millions of school-age children especially those in rural and conflict-affected communities still without access to formal education.
Education stakeholders have repeatedly stressed that tackling the crisis requires not only building more schools but also ensuring completed facilities are fully operational, adequately staffed and accessible to learners.
