Federal Government plans to abolish junior and senior secondary school structure due to high dropout rates
via Punch Nigeria5 min read
The Federal Government announced plans to abolish the policy separating junior and senior secondary schools, citing over 20 million pupils dropping out before reaching senior secondary education. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stated that the policy, introduced in 1982 as part of the 6-3-3-4 system, has failed to improve access to education. He highlighted a significant disparity with 80,000 public primary schools compared to only 15,000 junior secondary schools, leading to overcrowding in junior schools and underutilization of senior schools. The proposal will be presented to the National Council on Education for approval. This reform is part of broader efforts to address Nigeria's learning crisis, where about three out of four children aged 10 cannot read and understand age-appropriate text. Alausa emphasized the urgent need to integrate digital technology into teaching and learning, urging state governments to utilize existing Federal Government digital learning platforms like the Nigeria Learning Passport, which currently has 2.3 million users out of an estimated 67 million learners. He also inaugurated a committee to monitor Universal Basic Education Commission-funded smart, bilingual, and alternative schools, many of which remain uncompleted or unused despite significant public investment. Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr Aisha Garba, stressed the importance of technology, coordination, partnerships, and capacity building for
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