According to the Minister Of Education, more than 20 million Nigerian pupils drop out between primary school and junior secondary school, largely due to structural gaps in the system
KaNo —
The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the long-standing separation between junior and senior secondary school education, citing alarming dropout rates and structural inefficiencies that have hindered access to education across the country.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the proposed reform on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of a ministerial implementation and monitoring committee of the Universal Basic Education Commission.
He said the current system, which separates Junior Secondary School (JSS) from Senior Secondary School (SSS), has failed to deliver its intended objectives and would be phased out.
According to the minister, more than 20 million Nigerian pupils drop out between primary school and junior secondary school, largely due to structural gaps in the system.
He described the situation as unacceptable and a major barrier to educational progress in the country.
He explained that the disparity has resulted in severe overcrowding in existing junior secondary schools, while many senior secondary schools remain underutilised.
The imbalance, he said, has created a bottleneck that prevents millions of children from continuing their education.
The JSS-SSS structure was introduced in 1982 as part of the National Policy on Education, commonly referred to as the 6-3-3-4 system, which was first formulated in 1977.
The reform aimed to provide a clear progression pathway and diversify learning, but decades later, the government says the model has become counterproductive.
“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out,” Alausa said.
“We can’t create positions because we want to create director-level roles while harming our education system. It’s about doing what is best for every Nigerian child.”he added
The planned overhaul is part of broader reforms aimed at improving access to education and enhancing learning outcomes nationwide.
The minister expressed confidence that the current administration is committed to addressing systemic challenges in the sector.
“This government will not fail. We are fixing it,” he said.
He disclosed that about three out of every four children at the basic education level are unable to read and comprehend age-appropriate texts by the age of 10.
Speaking at a separate roundtable convened by the Federal Ministry of Education and UBEC on digital learning resources, Alausa described the country’s learning poverty rate as alarming.
“Learning poverty means that by the age of 10, a child cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text. In Nigeria today, three out of every four children are learning poor. That is simply unacceptable,” he said.
To address this challenge, the minister emphasised the urgent need to integrate digital technology into teaching and learning processes.
He argued that traditional methods alone are no longer sufficient to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving educational landscape.
“We don’t have a choice. We have to use technology. It is no longer feasible to continue to do things manually. Digital learning is the future, and we must deploy it to every part of the country, including the most rural communities,” he said.
According to him, these platforms provide access to high-quality, curriculum-aligned lessons delivered by some of the country’s best teachers.
They also offer solutions to the persistent shortage of qualified teachers in critical subjects such as Mathematics, English Language, Physics and Chemistry.
He explained that schools lacking subject teachers can leverage virtual classrooms to connect students with live or recorded lessons, enabling interaction between learners and educators regardless of location.
Despite these efforts, the minister expressed concern over the low adoption rate of digital learning tools.
He noted that although the Nigeria Learning Passport has recorded about 2.3 million users, the figure represents only a small fraction of the country’s estimated 67 million learners in primary and secondary schools.
“This is still extremely low. We have invested significant resources in these platforms. If they are not used, then it becomes a wasted investment. We cannot continue to suffer in the midst of plenty,” he said.
As part of efforts to strengthen implementation, Alausa inaugurated a ministerial committee chaired by Prof Rashid Aderinoye to oversee projects funded by UBEC, including smart schools, bilingual schools and alternative education centres.
The committee is tasked with ensuring that these projects are completed, properly handed over to state governments and opened for use by learners.
The minister lamented that many of the facilities, despite substantial public investment, remain uncompleted or unused.
He described the situation as an unacceptable waste of resources and stressed the need for accountability and timely execution of education projects.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, highlighted the growing importance of technology in building a resilient and inclusive education system.
She said the commission has made significant strides in deploying digital infrastructure, including the establishment of learning centres in schools, installation of smart interactive boards and the development of digital monitoring systems.
Garba also revealed that UBEC has introduced Digital Champions to drive the adoption of education technology and support state governments in implementing digital initiatives.
However, she cautioned that technology alone cannot transform education without effective coordination, strong partnerships and sustained capacity building.
“Technology is critical, but it must be complemented by the willingness of stakeholders to embrace innovation and work together,” she said.
Nigeria continues to grapple with one of the largest out-of-school children populations in the world, with millions of children particularly in rural, impoverished and conflict-affected communities https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/06/30/fg-to-scrap-jss-sss-separation-policy-after-20m-pupils-drop-out/unable to access or complete basic education.
Education experts have long identified weak transition rates between primary and junior secondary school, inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortages and insecurity as major contributors to the crisis.
With the proposed scrapping of the JSS-SSS structure, the Federal Government hopes to remove systemic barriers, improve transition rates and create a more seamless and inclusive education system.
However, stakeholders say the success of the reform will depend on effective implementation, adequate funding and sustained collaboration between federal and state authorities.
