Tinubu transmits bill to reform secondary education system to NASS

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted an amendment bill seeking to reform Nigeria’s secondary education system to the National Assembly for consideration.

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The proposed legislation is intended to provide a legal framework for the reorganisation of the country’s secondary education structure.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed this in a letter from the president, which he read during plenary on Thursday.

The letter did not provide details of the bill’s specific provisions or the policy changes being proposed.

The proposed reform is coming amid public debate over the federal government’s plan to abolish the separation between Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS).

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, had announced the proposal at an event in Abuja last Tuesday, stating that the current arrangement has contributed to the loss of about 20 million pupils between primary and secondary school levels.

However, in his communication to the Senate, President Tinubu did not expressly state whether the bill seeks to scrap the distinction between junior and senior secondary education.

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Instead, he said the legislation is aimed at strengthening the “administration and governance of public senior secondary education in Nigeria.”

The president noted that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the amendment bill at its meeting of 30 April and that the Federal Ministry of Justice subsequently vetted and finalised it in line with constitutional and legislative drafting requirements.

“The Federal Executive Council approved the amendment of the Bill at its sitting on Thursday 30 April 2026. The Federal Ministry of Justice subsequently vetted and finalised the bill in line with drafting standards and constitutional provisions.

“In consequence of the above, the desire of this administration to strengthen the educational institutions in the national interest, the National Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill 2026 is forwarded for legislative action by the National Assembly,” he added.

After reading the letter, Mr Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative processing and directed the committee to report back within one week.

Nigeria’s secondary educational system

Nigeria currently operates the 6-3-3-4 education system, which provides for six years of primary education, three years of Junior Secondary School (JSS), three years of Senior Secondary School (SSS), and four years of tertiary education.

Under the arrangement, pupils are expected to sit examinations at the end of primary school before proceeding to junior secondary school and again at the completion of JSS before advancing to senior secondary school.

The system was introduced to provide students with both academic and vocational skills and to allow those who may not continue to tertiary education to acquire employable skills.

However, education stakeholders have long raised concerns over the transition from primary to secondary education, referencing inadequate infrastructure, poverty, insecurity, and the costs associated with moving from one level to another as major factors contributing to school dropouts.

The debate intensified last week after the minister of education announced that the federal government was considering replacing the current 6-3-3-4 structure with a 12-year uninterrupted basic education model. Under the proposal, pupils would undergo six years of primary education followed by six years of secondary education without the current division between junior and senior secondary schools.

According to the minister, the proposed reform is intended to reduce dropout rates, simplify educational progression, and ensure that every child receives a continuous 12 years of schooling before advancing to higher education or vocational training.

The proposal, however, has generated mixed reactions from education experts and stakeholders. While some have welcomed the idea as a way of improving retention and reducing barriers to school progression, others argue that changing the structure alone may not address the underlying causes of school dropouts.

Critics have warned that challenges such as inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, shortage of teachers, insecurity, and widespread poverty are the primary obstacles to educational access and quality. They contend that without addressing these issues, altering the education structure may have limited impact on learning outcomes.