The minister of education, Tunji Alausa has started a conversation on the adoption of a 12-year basic education model to scrap secondary schools in Nigeria.
At the extraordinary meeting of the National Council on Education – (NCE), in Abuja on Thursday, the minister champions the conversation.
Nigeria operates the 6–3–3–4 education system where a child enrols in school at age six and undergoes six years each of primary and secondary education, at the end of which they are expected to be aged 18.
Alausa said the government is seeking approval from the NCE to set 16 years as the minimum entry age for tertiary institutions.
The minister said a 12-year basic education system will reduce dropout rates by removing financial and systemic barriers.
He said it would standardise the curriculum and offer early vocational training to prepare students for higher education and employment.
Alausa said the policy, if adopted, is expected to enhance economic and social development by equipping young people with relevant skills and reducing child labour.
Key implementation strategies, he said, include policy reforms, infrastructure expansion, teacher training, and curriculum development.
