FG sets 12 as minimum age for JSS1 admission

 

The Federal Government has introduced a new policy requiring students to be at least 12 years old before they can be admitted into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1), after completing six years of primary education

The guideline is contained in a recently released policy document on Non-State Schools, launched by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Non-state schools, also known as private, independent, or non-government institutions, are not run by government authorities and are usually funded through tuition, donations, and community or religious support. The new policy recognizes the growing role of these schools in Nigeria’s education system, while also addressing the significant differences in quality among them.

The policy outlines the age structure for early education: nursery education will last for three years, with children entering Nursery 1 at age 3, Nursery 2 at age 4, and spending one year in kindergarten at age 5. Primary education begins at age 6 and lasts for six years. Upon completing primary school, students are expected to enter JSS1 at around age 12.

With this structure, students would typically complete secondary education by age 18, aligning with the previously suggested university entry age. While former Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman had declared 18 as the minimum age for university admission, current Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa has revised the threshold back to 16.

The Nigeria Education Digest 2022 highlights the growing dominance of non-state schools, particularly at the junior secondary level. According to the report, non-state schools outnumber government schools in at least 26 states at the JSS level, while state schools remain more common at the primary level in 19 states.

Between 2017 and 2022, the number of non-state primary schools grew by 31.56%, compared to a 3.3% increase for state schools. At the junior secondary level, non-state schools increased by 35.06%, while state-run JSS schools grew by only 6.8% in the same period.

The government hopes the new guidelines will improve educational consistency and ensure children progress through the system at developmentally appropriate ages.