FG scraps JSS-SSS separation proposal as Dr Tunji Alausa cites over 20 million out-of-school children and seeks reforms to improve education access

The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the long-standing policy separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), citing evidence that more than 20 million Nigerian children have dropped out of school before reaching the senior secondary level.

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Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa unveiled the proposed reform in Abuja on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, describing the current arrangement as ineffective and detrimental to educational access.

According to Alausa, the Federal Government will present a proposal to scrap the JSS-SSS separation policy at the next meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE), the country’s highest education policymaking body.

“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students?” Alausa asked.

The minister said the existing policy, which requires junior and senior secondary schools to operate as separate institutions with independent principals, management structures and facilities, has created unintended barriers that limit pupils’ progression through the education system.

“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 imbalance has resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools, poor transition rates from primary education and underutilised senior secondary facilities in many parts of the country.

Alausa identified Kaduna State and several other northern states as areas where the policy has contributed to weak progression from basic to secondary education.

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

The proposed reform forms part of the Tinubu administration’s broader agenda to expand access to quality education, improve retention rates and strengthen learning outcomes nationwide.

Alausa acknowledged that previous interventions had not sufficiently addressed Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis but expressed confidence that the current administration would deliver meaningful improvements.

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

During the event, Alausa also inaugurated the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, chaired by Professor Rashid Aderinoye, to oversee the implementation of UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools across the country.

The committee has been mandated to ensure that completed projects are handed over to state governments and opened for teaching and learning without unnecessary delays.

Although UBEC has invested heavily in Smart Schools and other educational infrastructure over the years, Alausa expressed concern that many facilities remain incomplete, abandoned or yet to admit pupils, describing the situation as an unacceptable waste of public funds.

The minister stressed that improving education goes beyond constructing school buildings, insisting that completed facilities must be fully equipped, operational and accessible to learners.

The proposed policy shift marks one of the most significant structural reforms being considered for Nigeria’s basic education system in recent years.

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If approved by the National Council on Education, the change could streamline pupils’ transition from primary to secondary education, reduce administrative duplication and improve access for millions of children, particularly in underserved communities where school infrastructure remains inadequate.