The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the policy separating the administration of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS).
The policy, according to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has failed to improve educational outcomes and contributed to the growing number of students dropping out before completing secondary education.
Alausa, made this known in a statement issued after inaugurating the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee for Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools on Tuesday.
The minister announced that the policy, which created separate management structures for junior and senior secondary schools, would be presented to the National Council on Education (NCE) for review and eventual abolition.
He noted that the current arrangement has created unnecessary administrative challenges, weakened the transition of students from junior to senior secondary school and fuelled the country’s rising number of out-of-school adolescents.
Alausa, as quoted in the statement, declared that the government had reached the conclusion that the policy had failed to achieve its intended objectives.
“The Federal Government could now objectively conclude that the policy had not delivered the desired results,” the minister said.
He stressed that education reforms should focus on improving learning outcomes rather than expanding administrative structures.
While enrolment into junior secondary schools remains relatively high, progression to senior secondary education, according to the minister, has become a major concern, with more than 20 million students reportedly dropping out before completing secondary school.
Describing the trend as unacceptable, the minister reportedly directed relevant officials in the Federal Ministry of Education to prepare a position paper for presentation to the National Council on Education to facilitate the proposed policy change.