The Federal Government has announced plans to phase out the policy separating the administration of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), describing the reform as ineffective and a major contributor to the rising number of students dropping out before completing secondary education.
Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee for Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools.
Alausa said the disarticulation policy, which introduced separate management structures for junior and senior secondary schools, had failed to achieve its objectives and would be presented to the National Council on Education (NCE) for review and eventual discontinuation.
According to the minister, the policy has created unnecessary administrative bottlenecks and weakened the transition of students from junior to senior secondary education.
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“I can objectively report today that the disarticulation policy has failed. You cannot continue creating separate management structures simply because you want to create positions. It is not right. It is about doing what is best for our education system,” he said.
Alausa revealed that more than 20 million students expected to progress from junior to senior secondary school were dropping out before completing their secondary education, describing the trend as alarming and unacceptable.
He noted that while enrolment into junior secondary schools remains strong, the transition to senior secondary schools has become a major challenge that requires urgent policy intervention.
The minister directed relevant officials of the Federal Ministry of Education to prepare a position paper for presentation to the National Council on Education to facilitate the proposed policy change.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr. Aisha Garba, highlighted progress made under the Federal Government’s flagship basic education initiatives.
She disclosed that 37 Smart Schools had been established across the country, with 24 already operational, while the remaining schools were at various stages of completion and readiness for academic activities.
Garba also said 30 schools had been established in nine states under the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme, adding that three boarding schools had been completed and commissioned, while four others were substantially completed and awaiting commissioning.
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She further stated that the Alternative Schools Programme is expanding access to education for out-of-school children by providing flexible and inclusive learning opportunities aimed at improving enrolment and retention across the country.
