FG to phase out separation of junior, senior secondary schools, says Alausa

The federal government has announced plans to abolish the policy separating junior and senior secondary schools, saying the arrangement has failed to improve access to education and has instead contributed to rising school dropout rates nationwide.

According to a report by TheCable, the minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee.

He said the policy, which requires Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) to operate independently with separate administration and infrastructure, had created inefficiencies within the education system and would be phased out.

“We have objectively assessed the situation, and I can report today that this disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out,” Alausa said.

According to the minister, the arrangement has resulted in uneven student enrolment, with overcrowded junior secondary schools existing alongside underutilised senior secondary schools in several states.

“We’re seeing data from Kaduna and other northern states where you have one principal for junior secondary schools and another principal for senior secondary schools. We have overflowing JSS and empty senior secondary schools,” he said.

Alausa argued that the policy had prioritised the creation of administrative positions at the expense of educational outcomes.

“We can’t be creating positions because we want to create director-level roles while we harm our education system. It’s not right. It’s about doing what is good for every Nigerian child,” he added.

The minister also linked the policy to the growing number of children dropping out before completing secondary education.