The Federal Government of Nigeria has formally announced a new minimum age requirement of 12 years for pupils seeking admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1). This update forms part of the Non-State Schools Policy launched recently by the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to the new guidelines, pupils must complete six years of primary education and attain the age of 12 before being admitted into JSS1. The policy is in line with the National Policy on Education (NPE), 2013 Edition, and is designed to ensure a standard academic progression across the nation.
The structured timeline for children’s education now stands as follows: Nursery One begins at age three, Nursery Two at age four, followed by a compulsory one-year pre-primary education (Kindergarten) at age five. Primary education begins at age six and runs for six years. Upon completion, children are then admitted into JSS1 at age 12.
This structure reinforces Nigeria’s nine-year basic education model, which includes six years of primary school and three years of junior secondary education.
If the new age-based policy is strictly followed, pupils would typically complete secondary education and reach the age of 18 before becoming eligible for admission into higher institutions.
This framework may help resolve the ongoing debate around the appropriate entry age for universities. The previous Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, had proposed 18 as the minimum entry age, but the current Minister, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, revised it to 16.
The policy also focuses on the growing importance of non-state schools in Nigeria. Non-state schools, commonly known as private, independent, or faith-based schools, are not managed by the government. They are primarily financed through tuition payments and donations from individuals, religious organisations, businesses, communities, and charitable foundations.
Despite inconsistencies in education quality among these schools, they are playing an increasingly significant role in educational service delivery. The Nigeria Education Digest 2022, published by the Ministry, notes that non-state schools now outnumber public schools in at least 26 states at the junior secondary level. At the primary level, however, state schools still dominate in 19 states.
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Between 2017 and 2022, non-state primary schools experienced a 31.56% growth in number, while state-owned primary schools grew by only 3.3%. Similarly, non-state junior secondary schools grew by 35.06%, compared to just 6.8% for their state-run counterparts.
The Federal Government’s move to standardise enrolment ages aims to regulate the education system more effectively, especially as private institutions continue to grow at a faster pace than public ones. By introducing these age benchmarks, the government intends to improve uniformity, uphold academic quality, and align national education with global child development standards.
