- Federal government mandates JSS1 admission age at 12 for non-state schools
- Policy aligns with nine-year basic education structure
- Non-state schools growing faster than public counterparts
The Federal Ministry of Education has announced a new policy mandating that pupils must be at least 12 years old before gaining admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1), following the completion of six years of primary education.
Eko Hot Blog reports that directive is contained in the updated national policy for non-state (private) schools, which now formalises the structure of Nigeria’s basic education system into six years of primary and three years of junior secondary schooling.
Editor’s Pick
- Russian Plane With 49 Onboard Crashes Near China Border, All Feared Dead
- FG Seals 14 Abuja Facilities Over Environmental Violations
- APC to Name New National Chairman – 10 Things to Know About Nentawe Yilwatda
According to the document, obtained by The Punch, nursery education must span three years: Nursery One begins at age three, Nursery Two at age four, and one year of compulsory pre-primary (kindergarten) education at age five, in line with the National Policy on Education (2013).
“Children shall be admitted into Primary One when they attain the age of six years,” the policy stated. “They shall be admitted into Junior Secondary School (JSS1) when they have completed six (6) years of primary education, at around the age of twelve (12) years.”
If strictly enforced, this policy would see Nigerian students entering tertiary institutions at around 18 years of age, a point that has sparked debate in light of recent controversies surrounding university admission age limits.
The new guideline also reflects the increasing influence of non-state schools in the Nigerian education sector. Data from the Nigeria Education Digest (2022) shows that non-state schools outnumber public schools in junior secondary education across at least 26 states.
Between 2017 and 2022, non-state primary schools grew by 31.56%, while public primary schools increased by just 3.3%. Similarly, non-state junior secondary schools expanded by 35.06% during the same period, far outpacing the 6.8% growth rate for their public counterparts.
This growth underscores the shifting dynamics in Nigeria’s education landscape
