FG scraps JSS, SSS, introduces 12-year basic education model 

By Owede Agbajileke, Abuja
06 February 2025

The Federal Government has announced the scrapping of all Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools in the country and introduced a compulsory 12-year uninterrupted basic education model after which a Nigerian child can aspire to higher education.

With this development, the Nigerian Government is seeking the abolition of 6-3-3-4 education system and replacing it with 12-4.

This is even as it has sought the approval of the National Council on Education to officially adopt 16 years as the minimum entry age requirement into the country’s tertiary institutions.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, revealed this on Thursday in Abuja during the 2025 extraordinary National Council on Education meeting.

TEAM PLATO reports that the NCE is the highest policy-making body in the education sector.

The event was graced by commissioners for education in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), agencies and parastatals under the Ministry, and development partners.

According to the Minister, by subsuming secondary education into basic education, students will benefit from uninterrupted learning up to the age of 16.

Alausa said the new policy is in line with global best practices.
The reform, he stressed, will also reduce dropout rates by eliminating financial and systemic barriers that currently prevent students from completing secondary education.

“Extending basic education to 12 years will ensure a standardized curriculum that is uniformly implemented across the nation