Kehinde Ishola
The National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) has given state governments a 12-month ultimatum to fully implement the newly approved National Minimum Standards for Senior Secondary Education across the country.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Iyela Ajayi, disclosed this during an interaction with journalists in Abuja on Monday, December 1, 2025.
Ajayi said the standards, which were officially launched in February 2025, outline benchmark requirements for all aspects of senior secondary education, including teacher qualification, teacher-student ratio, infrastructure, classroom quality and learning facilities.
“The National Minimum Standards define what is acceptable in terms of teachers, infrastructure and learning environment. How many teachers should be in a school, their qualifications, classroom conditions and other critical requirements are clearly stated,” he said.
He explained that the commission had already distributed copies of the standards to all states and that the law establishing NSSEC empowers it not only to set but also to enforce the benchmarks.
“We have given the states 12 months to comply. After that, we will commence nationwide enforcement inspections. We cannot continue with a system where students learn under trees or in classrooms without roofs. Those days must end,” Ajayi said.
The NSSEC boss commended the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad, for their support, noting that the commission is focused on strengthening quality, structure and accountability in secondary education nationwide.
He also disclosed that the commission is intensifying efforts to improve teacher quality through continuous professional development, including targeted training for English and Mathematics teachers, as well as capacity building in artificial intelligence-driven teaching methods for educators and school administrators.
On curriculum reforms, Ajayi said NSSEC played a key role in recent national education adjustments, including the reintroduction of History, reduction of curriculum overload, and expansion of skill-based learning.
Despite funding challenges, he revealed that the commission has facilitated the upgrade of 50 senior secondary schools nationwide, at least one in each state, through constituency projects. The upgrades include new classrooms, laboratories and ICT facilities.
“We are not yet like UBEC in terms of funding, but what we have done so far is already changing the narrative,” he said.
Ajayi also disclosed that the commission is engaging telecom companies for subsidised broadband access in schools and working with development partners to secure 30,000 tablets for teachers nationwide. He added that plans are underway to make computer literacy compulsory and expand offerings in robotics, artificial intelligence and data science.
However, he decried the commission’s lack of direct funding, noting that although the law provides two per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) for NSSEC interventions, no allocation has been released so far.
“Our major challenge is funding. The law makes provision for 2 per cent of the CRF, but as I speak, not a kobo has been released,” he said.
The National Senior Secondary Education Commission is mandated to oversee and regulate senior secondary education in Nigeria, with responsibilities spanning policy development, quality assurance and standards enforcement, aimed at improving learning outcomes and preparing students for tertiary education and the workforce.