The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools in Nigeria (NAPPS) has endorsed the federal government’s proposal to abolish its policy separating junior secondary school (JSS) from senior secondary school (SSS).

The group described the move as a step toward strengthening secondary education.

The chairman of the NAPPS, Lagos State elders forum, Tunde Bejide, said the proposed reform, if effectively implemented, would improve secondary education.

Mr Bejide said it would also reduce school dropout rates and ease the financial burden on parents.

The chairman said on Tuesday that a unified six-year secondary education system would eliminate the Basic Education Certificate Examination and expenses associated with graduating from JSS.

Mr Bejide said the reform would also ensure better utilisation of existing school infrastructure.

“If properly implemented, this reform will ease parents’ financial burden, improve school retention, maximise existing infrastructure and provide every child with uninterrupted six-year secondary education,” he said.

A retired teacher, Amuche Ndukwe, said the JSS-SSS structure failed to achieve its objectives due to poor implementation and the neglect of vocational education.

According to her, the policy was designed to promote vocational skill acquisition, but inadequate funding, obsolete equipment and abandonment of workshops undermined the objectives.

Ms Ndukwe said that growing societal preference for university education further weakened technical and vocational education.

According to her, in the past decades, industries recruited outstanding graduates directly from technical education institutions.

She advised that rather than scrapping the policy, the federal government should modernise vocational education by integrating digital and artificial intelligence-driven skills to improve employability.

“Scraping the JSS and SSS policy is not the answer. Government must refurbish vocational education institutions, embrace technology and equip young people with practical, marketable skills,” she added.

The chairman of the board of trustees of the National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Adeolu Ogunbanjo, however, welcomed the proposed reform.

He described it as a practical step toward improving the education system.

Mr Ogunbanjo said the success of the proposed reform would depend on the expansion of technical colleges and trade centres and their equipment with modern facilities to provide students with employable skills.

He advocated a seamless progression route from technical colleges to polytechnics.

“Government must complement the reform with well-equipped technical colleges and trade centres, ensuring that every learner acquires relevant skills or progresses seamlessly into higher technical education nationwide,” he said.

The federal government recently announced plans to abolish the policy separating JSS from SSS.

The plan is part of broader reforms aimed at improving the country’s education system.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the plan during the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) ministerial implementation and monitoring committee in Abuja. 

(NAN)