Kehinde Fajobi
The federal government will engage stakeholders before deciding on the proposed 12-year basic education model, Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa said on Friday.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, he clarified that the proposal, introduced at Thursday’s Extraordinary National Council on Education Meeting, is still under discussion and not yet a policy.
A key aspect of the plan is scrapping external exams between JSS and SSS, allowing students to progress without assessments at that stage.
Alausa said extensive consultations with policymakers, state governments, teachers, and parents will take place over the next eight months, with a final decision expected at the National Council on Education meeting in October 2025.
The minister also highlighted other approved initiatives, including a national anti-bullying policy, the use of native languages in primary schools, and a minimum age requirement for tertiary education.
He stressed that the proposal aligns with global standards seen in countries like the US, UK, and Ghana, where 12 years of schooling is compulsory.
“What we’re saying is that we need to move from what we have now as nine years of compulsory education to 12 years of compulsory education as it’s obtained in other parts of the world.
“If you look back into the history of Nigeria, 30 years ago, people that went to the primary education there and got up to standard six, if you compare the level of education, the level of instruction, even the standard three there, it’s much better than what we get in GSS three now.
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“Today, our quality of instruction and education is falling. If we let these kids continue to graduate, if we let these children tell them that they only have nine years of compulsory education, we’re literally just training illiterates. We’re not preparing them for the future,” he said.
Alausa added that efforts are underway to improve funding, particularly for early childhood education, and strengthen public schools to equip students with necessary life skills.
“We already have a universal basic education that gets 2% of the conservative level. I’m going to go to Mr President about increasing the current level of funding to add basic education to 2% of conservative revenue to 5% of conservative revenue. We’ll ask for that,” he said.