FG to End JSS-SSS Separation, Moves to Tackle 20 Million School Dropouts

The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the policy separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), describing the arrangement as ineffective and a major contributor to Nigeria’s growing school dropout crisis.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee.

According to the minister, the policy, which created separate administrative and physical structures for junior and senior secondary schools, has failed to achieve its objectives and will be gradually phased out.

He explained that the current arrangement has resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools while many senior secondary schools remain underutilized.

“We have observed situations where junior secondary schools are overcrowded, while senior secondary schools have empty classrooms. The disarticulation policy has clearly failed, and we are going to phase it out,” Alausa said.

He added that the government would no longer sustain policies designed mainly to create administrative positions at the expense of improving educational outcomes.

The minister also expressed concern over the country’s widening education gap, revealing that more than 20 million pupils who enrolled in primary schools failed to transition successfully into junior and senior secondary education.

“We have over 20 million children dropping out between primary school and junior secondary school. This is unacceptable. We currently have about 80,000 public primary schools but only around 15,000 junior secondary schools, creating a huge imbalance in access,” he stated.

Alausa said the present administration is committed to reversing the trend by expanding access to secondary education and improving infrastructure across the country.

He further disclosed that the newly inaugurated UBEC committee has been mandated to fast-track the completion and delivery of UBEC-funded smart schools, bilingual schools and alternative learning centres nationwide.

According to him, several education projects remain abandoned despite substantial funding, while many completed schools have yet to be handed over to state governments for full academic activities.

He assured Nigerians that the committee would closely monitor the implementation of all projects to ensure they are completed and effectively utilized in improving access to quality education across the country.