The Federal Government has announced plans to discontinue the policy that separates Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), saying the existing structure has contributed to high school dropout rates and limited access to secondary education across Nigeria.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed the proposal on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee. According to him, the government intends to present the reform to the National Council on Education for consideration as part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s education system.
The minister said government findings indicate that more than 20 million pupils fail to transition successfully from primary education to junior secondary school, while the number of available junior secondary schools remains significantly lower than public primary schools. Brandspur Politics reports that the imbalance has created capacity challenges in many communities, resulting in overcrowded classrooms and reduced access to quality education.
Alausa explained that the current arrangement, under which junior and senior secondary schools often operate separately with different administrative structures, has not achieved its intended objectives. He noted that some senior secondary schools, particularly in parts of northern Nigeria, remain underutilised despite increasing pressure on junior secondary facilities.
According to the minister, the proposed reform is designed to improve continuity in secondary education, reduce the number of students leaving school prematurely and ensure more learners progress from junior to senior secondary level.
During the event, Alausa also inaugurated a ministerial committee chaired by Professor Rashid Aderinoye to oversee the implementation and monitoring of UBEC-funded smart schools, bilingual schools and alternative schools nationwide.
The committee has been tasked with ensuring completed projects are handed over to state governments and opened for academic activities. The minister expressed concern that several publicly funded school projects remain unfinished or have yet to begin operations, stressing that government resources must be fully utilised to improve educational outcomes across the country.
