The Federal Government has introduced a new policy stipulating that pupils must be at least 12 years old to gain admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1), following the completion of six years of primary education.
This update is part of a newly released policy document on
Non State Schools, unveiled last week by the Federal Ministry of Education. Non State Schools, also known as private or independent schools, are educational institutions not managed by the government and are primarily funded through tuition fees and donations from individuals, businesses, religious organisations, and foundations.
According to the document, these schools play an increasingly significant role in Nigeria’s educational landscape, despite noticeable variations in quality across different institutions.
On early childhood education, the Ministry stated:
“Nursery education shall span three years. Children will be admitted into Nursery One at age three, Nursery Two at age four, and will complete one year of compulsory pre primary (Kindergarten) education at age five, as outlined in Section 2(17) of the National Policy on Education, 2013 Edition.”
For basic education, the policy specifies:
“Basic education will cover a period of nine years, consisting of six years of primary and three years of junior secondary education.
Children will enter Primary One at age six and proceed to JSS1 at around age twelve, after completing six years of primary school.”
If this policy is strictly implemented, it implies that most Nigerian students will reach the age of 18 by the time they are eligible for admission into higher institutions.
The issue of minimum age for university admission has stirred debate in recent years.
While former Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, once announced 18 years as the minimum age for university entry, his successor, Dr Tunji Alausa, later revised it to 16 years.
The Nigeria Education Digest 2022, published by the ministry, revealed that non state schools outnumber government schools in 26 states at the junior secondary level.
Conversely, at the primary level, public schools still hold a majority in 19 states.
The report further showed rapid growth in the private education sector. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of non state primary schools increased by 31.56 percent, compared to a 3.3 percent rise in government owned primary schools.
Similarly, non state junior secondary schools grew by 35.06 percent, while their state counterparts recorded just a 6.8 percent increase over the same period.