The Nigerian government through the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has reacted to reports suggesting that the Federal Government has scrapped Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS).
The clarification was contained in a statement made available by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, on Friday in Abuja.
Boriowo quoted the Minister to have said that there was no intention to replace JSS and SSS with a new 12-year uninterrupted basic education model.
Alausa said that he only presented a proposal for discussion and not an immediate policy change at an Extraordinary National Council on Education (NCE) meeting held on Feb. 6.
He said the proposal sought to migrate to 12 years of compulsory education while retaining the current 6-3-3 education structure.
According to him, a key aspect of this proposal is to eliminate the examination barrier between JSS and SSS, allowing for a seamless transition of students without the hurdles of an external assessment at that stage.
He added that this suggestion was still a subject of consultation and deliberation.
“To ensure a well-informed decision, the ministry will undertake extensive stakeholder engagements over the next eight months, consulting widely with education policymakers, state governments, teachers, parents, and other key players.
” The final decision on whether to adopt this reform will be made at the October 2025 National Council on Education Meeting,” he said.
He urged the public to disregard the false claim that JSS and SSS had been scrapped.
He, therefore, said that the Federal Government remained committed to policies that enhanced access to quality education while aligning with global best practices.
