The Federal Government has formalised age requirements for pupils entering Junior Secondary School (JSS), pegging the minimum age at 12 years, a move designed to streamline educational progression across Nigeria’s growing non-state school sector.
The new directive is part of a policy framework unveiled by the Federal Ministry of Education last week, specifically addressing standards for non-state schools, a category which includes private, mission, and independently funded institutions.
According to the document, children must now begin Primary One at six years old, following three years of nursery and one year of pre-primary education. Completion of six years of primary school will then qualify a child, typically aged 12, for admission into JSS1.
“Children shall be admitted into Junior Secondary School (JSS1) when they have completed six years of primary education, at around the age of 12 years,” the policy states.
This recalibration aligns with an earlier stipulation in the National Policy on Education (2013 Edition) that children must turn three before enrolling in Nursery One and progress accordingly through the early education stages.
The implications of this are significant. If fully enforced, students would likely reach the minimum age of 18 before becoming eligible for university admission, a topic that recently stirred debate. While former Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman had proposed 18 as the entry age for tertiary institutions, current minister Dr. Tunji Alausa later reverted the minimum to 16.
According to the Nigeria Education Digest 2022, non-state institutions now outnumber public schools at the junior secondary level in at least 26 states. Between 2017 and 2022, private junior secondary schools grew by over 35%, compared to a modest 6.8% growth in government-owned equivalents.
The Ministry notes that while private schools have become integral to national education delivery, disparities in quality and adherence to national standards remain a concern.
