FG to Reintegrate JSS and SSS After 20 Million Pupils Drop Out

The Federal Government plans to discontinue the policy separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), following data revealing that over 20 million pupils drop out before reaching the senior secondary level.

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

Alausa stated that the “disarticulation policy,” which mandates JSS and SSS to operate independently with separate principals and facilities, has failed to achieve its objectives.

“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students?” he questioned. “We also found we have 80,000 public primary schools and only about 15,000 junior secondary schools. That’s a one-to-eight ratio.”

The minister explained that this imbalance has led to overcrowding in JSS facilities while many senior secondary schools remain underutilized, citing Kaduna and other northern states as examples.

“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We can’t be creating positions just to create director-level roles while harming our education system. It’s about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” he emphasized.

He further noted that the proposal to abolish the policy will be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education.

Alausa affirmed that this policy shift aims to expand access and improve learning outcomes. While acknowledging past failures in addressing transition rates, he declared, “This government will not fail. We are fixing it.”

During the same event, Alausa inaugurated a committee, chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to oversee UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools.

The committee is tasked with ensuring these projects are completed, handed over to states, and opened for learning.

UBEC has invested in hundreds of such schools nationwide, many of which, according to the minister, remain unfinished or have not admitted learners, representing a waste of public resources.

Nigeria faces one of the world’s largest populations of out-of-school children, with millions of school-age children—particularly in rural and conflict-affected communities—lacking access to formal education.

Education experts consistently argue that addressing this crisis requires not only constructing new schools but also ensuring that completed facilities are fully operational, adequately staffed, and accessible to learners.