Nigeria to End JSS-SSS Separation Policy

The Nigerian government has announced a plan to abolish the policy that separates Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), citing its role in a severe dropout crisis that has left over 20 million children failing to progress to senior secondary education. Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa announced the policy shift on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of a new implementation committee for the Universal Basic Education Commission.

Alausa stated that the current "disarticulation" policy, which requires JSS and SSS to operate independently with separate principals and facilities, has created a critical bottleneck in the education system. He presented data showing Nigeria has approximately 80,000 public primary schools but only about 15,000 junior secondary schools, a ratio he described as unsustainable. This mismatch has resulted in overcrowded JSS facilities while many senior secondary schools remain underutilized. The minister cited evidence from Kaduna and several other northern states where the policy has contributed to poor transition rates.

"This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out," Alausa said. He argued that the...