The Federal Government has announced plans to phase out the policy separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), following concerns that the current system has contributed to the growing number of out-of-school children across Nigeria.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed the decision on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee in Abuja.
According to the minister, government data revealed that more than 20 million pupils fail to transition from primary school to junior secondary school, highlighting significant gaps in the country’s education system.
Alausa explained that the policy requiring JSS and SSS to operate independently—with separate principals, facilities, and administration—has not delivered its intended objectives.
“We have over 20 million children dropping out between primary school and junior secondary school. We also discovered that while Nigeria has about 80,000 public primary schools, there are only around 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating an imbalance of approximately one JSS for every eight primary schools,” he said.
He noted that the shortage of junior secondary schools has resulted in overcrowded classrooms, while many senior secondary schools remain underutilised. The minister cited Kaduna and several northern states as examples where the imbalance is particularly evident.
Describing the current arrangement as ineffective, Alausa said the Federal Government is committed to reversing the policy in the interest of improving access to education.
“The disarticulation policy has failed. We cannot continue maintaining a structure simply to create administrative positions while compromising the future of Nigerian children. Our priority is to build an education system that works for every child,” he stated.
The minister added that the proposal to officially abolish the policy will be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for consideration.
He explained that the reform is part of broader efforts to improve school enrolment, strengthen the transition from basic to secondary education, and enhance learning outcomes nationwide.
“This government is determined to address the challenges affecting our education sector. We are committed to fixing the system and ensuring more children remain in school,” Alausa added.
During the event, the minister also inaugurated a committee chaired by Professor Rashid Aderinoye to oversee the implementation and monitoring of UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools across the country.
The committee has been tasked with ensuring that completed projects are handed over to state governments and opened for learning without unnecessary delays.
Although UBEC has invested in hundreds of these schools nationwide, Alausa expressed concern that many projects remain incomplete or have yet to admit students, describing the situation as an inefficient use of public resources.
Nigeria continues to face one of the world’s highest rates of out-of-school children, with millions of school-age children particularly those in rural, underserved, and conflict-affected communities still lacking access to quality education.
Education experts have repeatedly stressed that addressing the crisis requires more than constructing new schools. They argue that completed facilities must be adequately equipped, staffed, maintained, and made accessible to learners to achieve meaningful improvements in educational outcomes.
