According to the Federal Government, Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) will be eliminated as part of the 12-4 model that will replace Nigeria’s current 6-3-3-4 educational system.
During the 2025 extraordinary National Council on Education meeting in Abuja, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, revealed this. In his view, the new system will guarantee that students remain in school from primary school through the conclusion of secondary school without encountering significant financial or systemic obstacles by instituting a mandatory 12-year uninterrupted basic education.
Students attended primary school for six years, JSS for three years, SSS for three more years, and higher education for at least four years under the 6-3-3-4 system. This procedure will be streamlined by the new 12-4 model, which will lower dropout rates nationwide and be in line with international best practices.
More Nigerian youngsters will be able to finish their education and the country’s literacy rates will rise, according to the government. The move has, however, generated conflicting responses, with some stakeholders in education applauding the shift and others raising concerns about its implementation.
While Dr. Alausa promised Nigerians that the changeover would be meticulously prepared to prevent interruptions in the academic calendar, specifics regarding the formal implementation date of the 12-4 model are still pending.
The administration is now under pressure to make sure the new system outperforms the old one in light of the significant upheaval in the education sector.
