Federal Government don announce big plan wey go change how pikin dey enter secondary school for Nigeria. According to Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, dem go scrap dat common entrance exam wey pikin dey write to enter junior secondary school. Instead of dat exam, government go introduce new system wey dem dey call Continuous Assessment (CA).
Alausa yarn dis news during meeting with journalists for Lagos on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Him talk say di new system go show how pikin dey perform from primary one till dem finish primary six. “Even if pikin change school, di assessment go follow am go di new school,” Alausa explain.
Di minister tok say di common entrance exam go dey phase out slowly-slowly. Him say di old system don cause plenty problem for transition from primary to secondary school. According to statistics wey Alausa show, Nigeria get over 50,000 public primary schools with more than 23 million pikin. But only about 3 million of dem dey enter junior secondary school for public schools.
“Where di oda 20 million pikin dey?” Alausa ask. Him talk say dis big gap na serious mata wey government wan solve. Di minister tok say private schools alone no fit take all di pikin wey no dey continue dia education.
To track pikin better, government go introduce Learner Identification Number (LIN). Dis number go follow each pikin from primary school throughout dia education journey. “If pikin wey suppose dey for JSS1 no dey di school, we go know and find out why,” Alausa tok.
Di minister talk say state governments must build more schools to accommodate di growing number of pikin. Him also reveal say government wan revive school feeding programme. Dis programme go move from Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to Federal Ministry of Education for better monitoring.
Alausa explain say di new reforms na part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government plan to strengthen education sector for Nigeria. Di changes go help improve student retention and make sure more Nigerian pikin complete dia basic education.
Di minister tok say di old common entrance registration na mandatory step for primary school pikin wey wan enter Junior Secondary School (JSS 1). Di National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) dey hold every year for pikin wey dey final year of primary school.
According to Alausa, di new system go help address gaps for transition from primary to secondary education. Him talk say millions of pikin wey enroll for public primary schools no continue dia education for secondary level.
Di Federal Government don already introduce new measures to curb malpractice for WAEC, NECO, and oda Senior School Certificate Examinations. Authorities don approve enhanced question randomisation, strict Continuous Assessment timelines, and unique identity number for candidates.
Alausa tok say di reforms follow earlier ban on SS3 candidate transfers wey dem do to block examination racketeering. Di minister assure Nigerians say di new system go work better dan di old common entrance exam.
Government dey work with state governments to build more schools and expand capacity. Di minister talk say limited access remain major challenge for education sector for Nigeria.
Alausa explain say di new tracking system go help authorities monitor students’ progress across di country. Him talk say di Learner Identification Number go stay with each child throughout dia schooling.
Di minister tok say di changes go help improve access to education for all Nigerian pikin. Him talk say di government serious about making sure every pikin get opportunity to complete basic education.
According to Alausa, di school feeding programme wey dem wan revive go help boost public school enrolment. Him talk say di programme go move to Federal Ministry of Education for better oversight.
Di minister yarn say di new reforms go help address di alarming dropout rate across di country. Him talk say di government dey find way to make sure more pikin continue dia education to secondary level.
Alausa assure Nigerians say di changes go make education system better for Nigeria. Him talk say di government dey work hard to improve di quality of education for di country.
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