The Federal Government has announced plans to phase out the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination and introduce a Learner Identification Number to track pupils throughout their academic journey.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the proposed reforms during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Saturday. He said the initiative is aimed at improving access to education and ensuring effective monitoring of students across the country.
According to the minister, the common entrance examination will be replaced with a Continuous Assessment (CA) system that captures pupils’ academic performance from primary school. The new model will allow students to transfer their academic records seamlessly when moving between schools.
“It will be replaced by Continuous Assessment. The CA will reflect the performance of the pupil from primary one, and even if a pupil transfers from one school to another, the record follows the child,” Alausa said.
He noted that the reform is also designed to address the significant gap in progression from primary to secondary education. Citing data, the minister revealed that while over 23 million pupils are enrolled in more than 50,000 public primary schools nationwide, only about 3 million transition to junior secondary school.
“This raises a critical question about the whereabouts of nearly 20 million pupils not accounted for in public secondary schools,” he said, attributing the disparity largely to limited access.
Alausa stressed the need for state governments to invest in building more schools, noting that private institutions cannot absorb the shortfall. He added that discussions have already been held with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to address the issue.
To strengthen tracking, the government will introduce a unique Learner Identification Number assigned at the primary level. The system will enable authorities to monitor student progress and identify dropouts in real time.
“If a child is expected to be in JSS1 and is not there, we will know and determine the reason,” he explained.
The minister also disclosed plans to revive the school feeding programme to boost enrolment, noting it may be moved under the Ministry of Education for improved oversight.
The reforms are part of broader efforts to enhance access, retention, and completion rates within Nigeria’s basic education system.
