Education Overhaul: FG Scraps Divisive JSS, SSS Policy

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced a significant policy shift, planning to phase out the existing policy that separates the administration of Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS). This move comes as the government describes the disarticulation policy as a failed reform, directly contributing to millions of students dropping out before completing their secondary education.

Dr. Olatunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, made this disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee for Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools. Minister Alausa articulated his strong belief that the disarticulation policy, which created distinct management structures for junior and senior secondary schools, has demonstrably failed to achieve its intended objectives. He highlighted that it has introduced unnecessary administrative bottlenecks and worsened the transition of students from JSS to SSS.

“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,” Alausa stated. He expressed profound concern over the alarming statistic of more than 20 million students expected to progress from JSS to SSS who are instead dropping out of school, characterizing the situation as unacceptable. “We have no problem getting children into junior secondary schools, but transitioning them into senior secondary schools has become a major challenge. This is one of the policies we have to phase out,” he added. The Minister has since directed relevant officials within the ministry to prepare a comprehensive position paper for presentation before the National Council on Education (NCE) to formalize the policy's review and discontinuation.

Parallel to this major policy review, the newly inaugurated Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee has been charged with ensuring that Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools across the country become fully operational and deliver quality education. Minister Alausa clarified that the committee’s establishment is not intended to duplicate the responsibilities of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), but rather to provide essential coordination, accelerate implementation, and efficiently remove bottlenecks that have been delaying project completion and operationalization.

“This committee is about implementation, delivery and results. It is not about meetings or reports. Its success will be measured by how many schools become operational and begin educating Nigerian children,” Alausa emphasized. He issued clear directives to the committee, mandating them to ensure the completion of ongoing construction projects, installation of furniture and equipment, provision of vital infrastructure such as electricity, water, and internet connectivity, deployment of qualified teachers, and the speedy admission of learners into these schools. The Minister firmly stressed that no public-funded educational infrastructure should remain abandoned or underutilised, asserting, “Every day a completed school remains locked represents lost opportunities for thousands of Nigerian children. Every abandoned project represents resources that are not yielding educational value.”

The Federal Government, according to Alausa, intends to ensure that all Smart Schools and Bilingual Schools are operational before the end of the year, drawing on the positive results achieved by similar implementation committees in accelerating projects within federal universities. He acknowledged UBEC's substantial investment of public resources in establishing Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools nationwide.

Dr. Aisha Garba, Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), provided an overview of the progress recorded under the Federal Government’s flagship basic education interventions. She explained that the Smart Schools initiative is strategically designed to transform basic education through the integration of modern technology, digital learning tools, and innovative teaching methods, stressing that effective monitoring is crucial for achieving transparency, accountability, and optimal value for public investment. Garba reported that out of 37 Smart Schools established across the federation, 24 are already actively conducting academic activities, while the remaining schools are at various stages of completion and operational readiness.

Furthermore, under the UBEC-Islamic Development Bank Bilingual Education Programme, 30 schools have been established across nine participating states. Among these, three boarding schools have been successfully completed and commissioned, with four others having reached substantial completion and awaiting commissioning. Dr. Garba also highlighted the expansion of the Alternative Schools Programme, which is designed to increase access to education for out-of-school children through flexible and inclusive learning opportunities.

Both Minister Alausa and Dr. Garba stressed the Federal Ministry of Education’s unwavering commitment to measuring not only project outputs but also tangible educational outcomes, insisting that the era of declaring projects completed on paper while they remain inaccessible to beneficiaries must decisively come to an end. The committee is urged to work in close collaboration with UBEC, State Governments, State Universal Basic Education Boards, and contractors to complete any unfinished projects, provide necessary furniture and learning equipment, facilitate electricity, water, and internet connectivity, deploy teachers where necessary, conclude the handover of completed schools, and ensure that students are promptly enrolled. This concerted effort aims to translate government investments into fully functional schools that deliver quality education to Nigerian children.