Support continues to grow for the Federal Government’s proposed plan to abolish the long-standing administrative separation between Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), with former Imo State governorship candidate and education advocate, Tony Ejiogu, describing the reform as a timely intervention capable of improving student retention and strengthening Nigeria’s secondary education system.
Ejiogu said the proposal announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, represents an important shift toward a more learner-centred education structure that prioritises continuity, access and improved academic outcomes rather than bureaucratic divisions within the secondary school system.
According to him, the existing arrangement has, over the years, created avoidable administrative barriers that interrupt students’ educational progression and contribute to the high number of learners who fail to complete senior secondary education.
He argued that returning to a unified six-year secondary school model would provide a smoother academic transition for learners, allowing students to remain within the same educational environment throughout their secondary education while reducing the likelihood of dropping out midway.
Ejiogu further noted that the reform would enhance curriculum continuity, strengthen collaboration among teachers and improve monitoring of students’ academic progress from their first year in junior secondary school until graduation from senior secondary school.
He also observed that integrating the two levels would enable governments to maximise existing educational infrastructure, deploy teachers more efficiently and reduce duplication in school administration, thereby improving the overall management of public secondary schools across the country.
The education advocate maintained that children from low-income and vulnerable families stand to benefit significantly from the policy because it removes structural obstacles that often prevent students from progressing beyond the junior secondary level.
The endorsement comes shortly after the Federal Government disclosed that more than 20 million Nigerian children fail to transition successfully through the current secondary education pathway, prompting authorities to begin the process of phasing out the policy separating JSS and SSS. Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the existing structure has contributed to overcrowded junior secondary schools, underutilised senior secondary facilities and rising dropout rates nationwide.
Under the proposal, which will be presented to the National Council on Education for consideration, the government hopes to establish a more seamless secondary education system that improves access, increases completion rates and delivers better learning outcomes for Nigerian students.
Education stakeholders have continued to describe the proposed reform as one of the most significant structural changes in Nigeria’s basic education sector in recent years, stressing that its success will depend on effective implementation, adequate funding, teacher support and close collaboration between the Federal Government and state governments.
Ejiogu therefore called on policymakers, school administrators, teachers, parents and development partners to support the reform process, expressing confidence that a unified secondary education structure would produce better-prepared graduates, reduce learning disruptions and contribute meaningfully to the long-term development of Nigeria’s education system.
