Federal Government plans to abolish the disarticulation policy separating Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, as Minister Tunji Alausa highlights massive dropouts and infrastructure imbalances affecting millions of Nigerian children

The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the long-standing policy that separates Junior Secondary Schools from Senior Secondary Schools, citing its failure to improve access and its role in contributing to massive school dropouts.

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Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa disclosed the proposed shift on Tuesday in Abuja while inaugurating the Universal Basic Education Commission Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee.

He said the government would present a formal proposal to scrap the “disarticulation policy” at the next meeting of the National Council on Education.

Alausa expressed concern over the more than 20 million children who have dropped out before reaching senior secondary level.

“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students?” he queried, pointing to the stark mismatch between approximately 80,000 public primary schools and only about 15,000 junior secondary schools – a ratio of one to eight.

The policy, which requires separate management structures, principals and facilities for junior and senior secondary levels, has created bottlenecks, overcrowded junior secondary classrooms and underutilised senior secondary infrastructure in many areas.

The minister cited examples from Kaduna and several northern states where transition rates have suffered significantly.

“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out,” Alausa declared, adding that the focus must remain on what best serves Nigerian children rather than creating unnecessary administrative positions.

The reform forms part of the Tinubu administration’s broader strategy to boost access, retention and learning outcomes. The minister acknowledged past challenges in addressing the out-of-school children crisis but expressed strong confidence in current efforts.

“This government will not fail. We are fixing it,” he said.

At the same event, Alausa inaugurated the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye.

The committee is tasked with overseeing the completion, handover and operationalisation of UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools nationwide.

The minister lamented that many such projects remain abandoned or non-operational despite significant investment, describing it as an unacceptable waste of public resources. He emphasised that building schools is not enough — completed facilities must open for teaching and learning.

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The proposed policy change is expected to generate significant discussion at the National Council on Education as stakeholders evaluate its potential impact on Nigeria’s education system.