FG to End JSS-SSS Separation as 20 Million Pupils Drop Out Before Senior Secondary School… says ‘disarticulation policy’ has failed

The Federal Government has announced plans to phase out the policy separating Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), describing it as a failed reform that has contributed to Nigeria’s worsening school dropout crisis.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed the move on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee.

Alausa said the decision followed findings that more than 20 million pupils drop out between primary school and junior secondary school, largely due to structural gaps created by the existing education policy.

According to him, the policy, popularly known as the “disarticulation policy,” which requires junior and senior secondary schools to operate separately with different administrations and facilities, has not achieved its intended objectives.

“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students? We also found we have about 80,000 public primary schools but only about 15,000 junior secondary schools. That’s roughly a one-to-eight ratio,” the minister said.

He explained that the disparity has resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools while many senior secondary school facilities remain underutilised, particularly in states such as Kaduna and other parts of northern Nigeria.

“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We can’t be creating positions because we want to create a director-level office while harming our education system. It’s about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” Alausa stated.

The minister said the proposal to abolish the policy would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for consideration and approval.

He noted that the reform is aimed at improving access to education, increasing transition rates from basic to senior secondary education and reducing the country’s large number of out-of-school children.

“We have not done well in the past, but this government will not fail. We are fixing it,” he said.

As part of broader reforms, Alausa also inaugurated a ministerial committee chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye to monitor the implementation of UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools across the country.

The committee is expected to ensure that the projects are completed, handed over to state governments and opened for academic activities.

The minister lamented that despite substantial investments by UBEC, many of the schools remain abandoned, incomplete or yet to admit learners, describing the situation as a waste of public resources.

Nigeria continues to face one of the world’s highest out-of-school children populations, with millions of school-age children particularly in rural and conflict-affected communities still lacking access to quality education.

Education stakeholders have repeatedly called for reforms that go beyond building schools, stressing the need to ensure completed facilities are adequately equipped, staffed and accessible to learners.