By Hope Gift Ahonsi, JKNewsMedia Intern
PUPILS ACROSS Nigeria will now be required to attain the age of 12 before admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1), according to a new policy framework released by the Federal Ministry of Education (FME).
The guideline, part of a wider regulatory document on non-state education, outlines strict age benchmarks for each stage of basic education.
Under the new structure, children are to begin nursery education at age three, spend three years in nursery classes, and enter one year of pre-primary (Kindergarten) at age five.
Primary school commences at age six and runs for six academic years, with transition to JSS1 only permitted upon completion – typically at age twelve.
The policy, aligned with Section 2(17) of the National Policy on Education (NPE), 2013 edition, reaffirms the nine-year span of basic education comprising six years of primary and three years of junior secondary schooling.
It explicitly states that “every child must complete six years of primary education” before progressing to junior secondary level.
The directive follows concerns over inconsistent age patterns in school enrolments and debates on early university admissions.
By enforcing a minimum age requirement, the FG aims to standardise the learning curve and align pupils’ physical and cognitive development with curriculum expectations.
The framework also reflects a growing reliance on non-state actors in the education sector.
According to the Nigeria Education Digest 2022, private schools – broadly defined as non-state schools – now outnumber public schools in at least 26 states at the junior secondary level.
Between 2017 and 2022, private primary schools grew by 31.56 percent compared to a 3.3 percent increase in public primary schools.
At the junior secondary level, private institutions expanded by 35.06 percent, while their public counterparts grew by just 6.8 percent over the same period.
The data highlights the pace at which non-state schools are expanding to meet the demand for educational services, though the policy notes disparities in quality and standards across the sector.
With the new age-based admissions rule, authorities are expected to tighten compliance monitoring across both public and private schools, ensuring adherence to the stipulated educational progression timeline.
