ABUJA — The Federal Government has concluded plans to phase out the separation of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), following revelations that more than 20 million pupils fail to progress beyond the junior secondary level under the current structure.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the policy shift on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, describing the existing “disarticulation policy” as ineffective and detrimental to access to secondary education.
According to Alausa, findings by the ministry showed a sharp imbalance in the country’s school infrastructure, with about 80,000 public primary schools compared to only 15,000 junior secondary schools, resulting in overcrowding and limiting access for millions of pupils.
“We have over 20 million dropouts between primary school and junior secondary school. Where are these children? We also found that we have about 80,000 public primary schools but only about 15,000 junior secondary schools. That one-to-eight ratio has created a major bottleneck in our education system,” he said.
The minister argued that separating JSS from SSS, with different principals and facilities, had failed to achieve its intended objectives, adding that the policy had left many senior secondary schools underutilised while junior secondary schools remained overstretched, particularly in states such as Kaduna and across parts of northern Nigeria.
“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We cannot continue creating administrative positions at the expense of the education of Nigerian children. Our responsibility is to do what is best for every child,” Alausa stated.
He disclosed that the proposal to abolish the policy would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education, expressing confidence that the reform would improve transition rates and expand access to secondary education.
The minister also inaugurated a committee, chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to monitor the implementation of UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools across the country. He said the committee would ensure that completed projects are handed over to state governments and put into use.
Alausa expressed concern that many UBEC-funded schools remain uncompleted or have yet to admit learners despite huge public investments, describing the situation as an unacceptable waste of scarce resources.
Nigeria continues to grapple with one of the world’s largest out-of-school children populations, with millions of school-age children especially in rural and conflict-affected communities still lacking access to quality basic education.
The Federal Government said the proposed reforms form part of broader efforts to improve learning outcomes and reduce the country’s out-of-school burden.
