FG plans to scrap JSS–SSS separation policy

The Federal Government has announced plans to end the policy separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), saying it has contributed to the rising number of children dropping out of school.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made the announcement on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee.

According to the minister, more than 20 million pupils leave school between primary education and junior secondary school, indicating that the current system is not working.

“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students? We also found we have 80,000 public primary schools and only about 15,000 junior secondary schools. That’s a one-to-eight ratio,” Alausa said.

He explained that the shortage of junior secondary schools has resulted in overcrowded classrooms, while many senior secondary schools remain underutilised, particularly in Kaduna and other northern states.

Alausa said the policy of operating JSS and SSS separately, with different principals and facilities, has failed.

“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We can’t be creating positions because we want to create a director level for people while we harm our education system. It’s about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” he said.

The minister said the proposal to scrap the policy will be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education.

He added that the move is aimed at improving access to education and increasing the number of students who progress to senior secondary school.

“This government will not fail. We are fixing it,” Alausa said.

At the event, the minister also inaugurated a committee led by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye to monitor UBEC-funded smart schools, bilingual schools and alternative schools across the country.

The committee will ensure that the schools are completed, handed over to state governments, and opened for learning.

Alausa noted that many of the schools built with public funds remain unfinished or have not admitted students, describing the situation as a waste of government resources.