The Federal Government, Tuesday, directed the overhaul of Nigeria’s education structure as more than 20 million children who enrolled in primary schools dropped out before senior secondary school.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced this during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee in Abuja
Nigeria operates a formal education framework generally referred to as the 6-3-3-4 system, which consists of 6 years of primary education, 3 years of junior secondary, 3 years of senior secondary, and a minimum of 4 years of tertiary education.
The system is broken down into three major tiers: Basic Education, Post-Basic/Senior Secondary, and Tertiary Education.
Dr. Alausa however, stated that the arrangement separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) had failed and contributed to the alarming number of out-of-school children.
He said findings by the government showed that while Nigeria has about 80,000 public primary schools, there are only about 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a huge transition gap that has left millions of children stranded after completing primary education.
According to him, the policy requiring JSS and SSS to operate as separate institutions has worsened access to education by overcrowding junior secondary schools while leaving many senior secondary schools underutilised.
He said successive governments had failed to adequately address the problem but assured that the Tinubu administration was determined to reverse the trend by expanding access to basic education.
The minister cited evidence from Kaduna and several northern states showing that the disarticulation policy created unnecessary administrative structures at the expense of students.
“About 24million children enrol in our primary schools, but only about 4million of them complete senior secondary. We have over 20 million children dropping out between primary school and junior secondary school. Where are those students?
“The previous governments may have failed in this regard, but this government will not fail. We are fixing this. We need to create more opportunities for children to move seamlessly through the education system.
“We have overflowing junior secondary schools and empty senior secondary schools. I can objectively report today that this disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We cannot continue creating administrative positions while damaging our education system. It is about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” he said.
Alausa disclosed that the proposal to abolish the policy would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for formal consideration.
He also inaugurated a high-powered committee chaired by renowned education expert, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to fast-track the completion, handover and operationalisation of hundreds of Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools funded by UBEC across the country.
The minister lamented that despite huge public investments, many of the schools remained abandoned, while several completed projects had yet to be handed over to state governments or opened for academic activities.
He described the situation as a waste of scarce public resources and a denial of learning opportunities to thousands of Nigerian children.
“The purpose of these schools is to educate children, not to remain locked up after completion,” he said, charging the committee to eliminate implementation bottlenecks and ensure the facilities begin serving their intended purpose.
Speaking earlier, UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, said the Federal Government had recorded significant progress in expanding access to quality basic education through the Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools programmes.
She disclosed that 37 Smart Schools had been established nationwide, with 24 already in operation, while the remaining schools were at various stages of completion, furnishing and readiness for academic activities.
Garba added that under the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme, 30 schools had been established across nine states, with three boarding schools already commissioned and four others substantially completed and awaiting inauguration.
She also noted that the Alternative Schools Programme was expanding access to education for vulnerable and out-of-school children through flexible and inclusive learning models.
According to her, the newly inaugurated implementation committee will oversee project execution, ensure the timely completion and handover of schools, resolve implementation challenges and guarantee that government investments translate into fully functional learning centres.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, pledged that members would carry out their assignment with diligence, transparency and accountability, assuring that they would work to remove obstacles delaying project delivery and help improve access to quality education across Nigeria.
