Nigeria to end JSS-SSS separation policy over rising school dropout crisis

THE Nigerian government has announced plans to abolish the policy separating junior secondary schools (JSS) from senior secondary schools (SSS), describing the arrangement as ineffective and partly responsible for Nigeria’s growing school dropout problem.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, Education Minister, Mr Tunji Alausa, said the disarticulation policy, which requires JSS and SSS to operate independently both administratively and physically, had failed to achieve its objectives and would be phased out.

Alausa said evidence from states such as Kaduna showed that the policy had created administrative inefficiencies, with separate principals overseeing junior and senior secondary schools while many JSS facilities remain overcrowded and senior secondary schools underutilised.

“We have overflowing JSS and empty senior secondary schools. I can objectively report today that this disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out,” he said.

READ ALSO: Alausa: North still trails in literacy despite getting bulk of education donor funding

The minister criticised the creation of separate administrative positions under the policy, arguing that expanding bureaucracy should not come at the expense of improving learning outcomes for Nigerian children.

He also linked the policy to the country’s widening transition gap between primary and secondary education, revealing that more than 20 million pupils who enrolled in primary school failed to advance to senior secondary education after dropping out along the way.

According to him, Nigeria has about 80,000 public primary schools but only around 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a significant infrastructure imbalance that limits access to continued education.

Alausa acknowledged that previous administrations had not adequately addressed the challenge but pledged that the current government would expand access to education by increasing opportunities for pupils to progress through the school system.

He added that the newly inaugurated UBEC Implementation and Monitoring Committee had been tasked with ensuring the completion, handover and operationalisation of hundreds of UBEC-funded smart schools, bilingual schools and alternative learning centres across the country.

The minister expressed concern that despite substantial funding released by UBEC, many education projects remain unfinished, while several completed schools have yet to be transferred to state governments or incorporated into their education systems.

He said the committee would oversee the implementation and monitoring of the projects to ensure they are completed on schedule and deliver quality education for Nigerian children.