FG to Scrap Common Entrance, Introduce Learner ID for Pupils

The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination and introduce a nationwide Learner Identification Number system to track pupils throughout their academic journey.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the proposal during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, stating that the reforms are aimed at improving access to education and strengthening monitoring mechanisms across the country.

Under the proposed framework, the current common entrance examination will be phased out and replaced with a Continuous Assessment (CA) system. The minister explained that pupils would be evaluated based on their academic performance from primary one, allowing for seamless transfer of records when moving between schools.

Alausa said the reform is designed to address long-standing challenges in the transition from primary to secondary education, particularly the high number of pupils who fail to progress.

According to him, Nigeria has over 50,000 public primary schools with more than 23 million pupils, yet only slightly above three million transition to junior secondary school within the public system.

He described the gap as a reflection of limited access, noting that private schools cannot fully absorb the shortfall.

“The issue is simply lack of access,” he said, adding that the Federal Government is working with state governments to expand infrastructure and build more schools to accommodate the growing number of pupils.

To support the reform, the government plans to introduce a unique Learner Identification Number for every child from the primary school level. The number will remain with each pupil throughout their education, regardless of school transfers.

The system, the minister said, will enable authorities to track students’ progress and identify dropouts for timely intervention.

“If a child is expected to be in JSS1 and is not there, we will be able to determine the reason,” he added.

Alausa also revealed plans to revive the school feeding programme as part of efforts to boost enrolment and retention in public schools.

He noted that the programme may be placed under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education to improve monitoring and effectiveness.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts by the Federal Government of Nigeria to strengthen the education sector, improve retention rates, and ensure more children complete basic education.