The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the long-standing policy separating the administration of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), citing its failure to deliver intended outcomes and its role in worsening student dropout rates.
Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, describing the policy as an ineffective reform that has created more problems than it solved. According to him, the division of management structures between JSS and SSS has introduced unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, making it increasingly difficult for students to transition smoothly into senior secondary education.
Alausa expressed concern that millions of students who complete their junior secondary education are unable to progress to the next level, calling the trend “deeply troubling and unacceptable.” He noted that the policy has inadvertently disrupted continuity in the education system and limited access to higher levels of learning.
To address the issue, the minister has directed officials of the Federal Ministry of Education to prepare a comprehensive position paper for presentation to the National Council on Education (NCE). The document is expected to outline the framework for reviewing and ultimately scrapping the policy.
In a related development, Alausa inaugurated a committee tasked with ensuring the full operationalisation of Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools nationwide. The committee will focus on fast-tracking project execution, eliminating administrative bottlenecks, and ensuring that government-funded educational facilities are completed, properly equipped, adequately staffed, and opened for student use.
He stressed that no publicly funded school should remain abandoned or underutilised, warning that such neglect represents a significant loss of opportunity for Nigerian children. The Federal Government, he added, is committed to making all Smart and Bilingual Schools fully functional before the end of the year, with a renewed emphasis on delivering measurable improvements in learning outcomes across the country.If you want, I can also flip this into an investigative, critical, or politically charged version.
