The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, describing the existing arrangement as ineffective and unsustainable.
The policy—known as the “disarticulation policy”—requires Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) to operate independently, often with separate principals, staffing structures, and facilities. According to the minister, it has failed to achieve its intended goals.
“This Disarticulation Policy Has Failed” — Minister
Presenting troubling national education statistics, Alausa highlighted the scale of exclusion within the system, linking it directly to structural inefficiencies.
“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students? 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,” he said.
He argued that the imbalance has created severe pressure on existing Junior Secondary Schools, leading to overcrowding, while many Senior Secondary Schools remain underutilised across the country.
“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We can’t be creating positions because we want to create a director level for people while we harm our education system. It’s about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” he added.
The minister further stated that the proposal will be presented for approval at the next meeting of the National Council on Education, which is expected to determine the formal framework for its nationwide implementation.
Policy Shift Targets Access and System Efficiency
The planned reform is aimed at improving student transition rates, expanding access to post-basic education, and addressing long-standing inefficiencies in school distribution and infrastructure usage.
Dr Alausa acknowledged that previous interventions have failed to resolve Nigeria’s high dropout rates, but insisted that the current administration is committed to reversing the trend.
“This government will not fail. We are fixing it,” he said.
Oversight Committee Set Up for UBEC Education Projects
During the same event, the minister also inaugurated a new implementation and monitoring committee chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye to supervise federally funded education infrastructure projects under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
The committee will oversee Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Education Centres, ensuring that projects are completed, commissioned, and fully operational across states.
Alausa expressed concern that several UBEC-supported schools nationwide remain unfinished or unused despite significant public investment.
“UBEC has invested in hundreds of such schools nationwide,” he said, adding that many “remain unfinished or have not admitted learners,” describing the situation as a waste of public resources.
Nigeria’s Out-of-School Challenge Still Severe
Nigeria continues to face one of the world’s highest numbers of out-of-school children, with millions of school-age children—particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas—still outside the formal education system.
Education analysts have long argued that the crisis goes beyond infrastructure deficits, stressing that completing school projects is not enough unless facilities are properly staffed, operational, and accessible to learners.
The new policy direction signals a broader attempt by the government to restructure the basic education system, reduce bottlenecks in student progression, and improve overall learning outcomes across the country.