Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa
Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the policy separating the administration of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), saying the arrangement has failed to improve Nigeria’s education system.
The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, describing the reform as ineffective and blaming it for increasing the number of students who fail to progress from junior to senior secondary school.
According to the minister, the policy created unnecessary administrative hurdles that have made the transition from JSS to SSS more difficult for many learners.
Alausa said millions of students expected to move into senior secondary school are unable to do so, describing the trend as unacceptable.
He directed officials of the Federal Ministry of Education to prepare a position paper for submission to the National Council on Education (NCE) to support a review and eventual discontinuation of the policy.
The minister also inaugurated a committee tasked with ensuring that Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools across the country become fully operational.
He said the committee will speed up project implementation, eliminate bottlenecks and ensure government-funded schools are completed, equipped, adequately staffed and opened for learning.
Alausa stressed that no publicly funded educational facility should remain abandoned or underutilised, noting that every completed school left idle represents lost opportunities for Nigerian children.
He added that the Federal Government is targeting full operation of all Smart Schools and Bilingual Schools before the end of the year while prioritising measurable improvements in learning outcomes.
