The Federal Ministry of Education has reacted to reports suggesting that it has scrapped the Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) in favour of a new 12-year uninterrupted basic education model.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa made the clarification on Friday while addressing the press on the misleading reports in some media platforms, (not LEADERSHIP), that the federal government has collapsed the current secondary school system under the proposed 12-year basic education system.
LEADERSHIP recalls that during the Extraordinary National Council on Education (NCE) meeting in Abuja on Thursday, Alausa presented a proposal to transition the Nigerian educational system to 12 years of compulsory education within the existing 6-3-3 system.
However, the minister clarified at the briefing that this is a proposal for discussion, not an immediate policy shift.
A major feature of the proposal, he explained, is the removal of the examination barrier between JSS and SSS, allowing students to progress seamlessly without the need for external assessments at that stage.
The Minister emphasised that the proposal is still under consultation, and its implementation depends on further deliberations.
According to him, over the next eight months, the Ministry will engage in extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including policymakers, state governments, teachers, parents, and others.
A final decision, he said, will be made at the National Council on Education meeting in October 2025.
Details later…