Williams Kayode
The Federal Government has introduced a new directive fixing 12 years as the minimum age for admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1), following the mandatory completion of six years of primary education.
This policy is part of a newly launched framework on Non-State Schools, unveiled by the Federal Ministry of Education last week. It aims to standardize age-based progression across both public and private schools nationwide.
According to the ministry, early childhood and basic education will now follow a clearly structured timeline. Children will be admitted into Nursery 1 at age 3, Nursery 2 at age 4, and Kindergarten (pre-primary) at age 5. Primary education begins at age 6, and upon completion of six years, children will proceed to JSS1 at around age 12.
The document reaffirms that basic education shall be of nine years’ duration, consisting of six years of primary and three years of junior secondary education. This means that, ideally, students would complete secondary school by age 18, the previously recommended university admission age under former Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman.
However, current minister Dr. Tunji Alausa has since revised the university entry age to 16.
The policy also highlights the increasing role of non-state (private) schools in Nigeria’s education landscape. These schools—typically funded through tuition, donations, and private support—have grown significantly over the last five years.
According to the Nigeria Education Digest 2022, non-state primary schools grew by 31.56 percent between 2017 and 2022, compared to a 3.3 percent growth in state-run primary schools. At the junior secondary level, non-state schools expanded by 35.06 percent, while state schools grew by only 6.8 percent. Non-state schools now outnumber public schools in at least 26 states at the JSS level. However, at the primary level, public schools remain dominant in 19 states.
The newly established age guidelines are expected to discourage premature academic enrollment of underage children, promote cognitive and emotional readiness in learners, and harmonize educational standards across both public and private sectors.
Some education stakeholders have lauded the move as timely and strategic in addressing Nigeria’s long-standing issues of quality disparity, age misplacement, and foundational learning gaps. Others, however, believe the policy is inconsistent with a recent declaration of 16 years as the minimum benchmark for admission into universities.