The Federal Government has unveiled plans to phase out the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination and replace it with a new system that will track pupils throughout their education using a unique identification number.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made this known during a media briefing in Lagos. He said the reforms are designed to improve access to education and ensure better monitoring of pupils across the country.
Under the proposed changes, the common entrance examination will be replaced with a Continuous Assessment system that evaluates pupils based on their performance from the early years of primary school. The minister explained that this record will follow each pupil, even when they transfer between schools.
He noted that the move is also aimed at addressing challenges in the transition from primary to junior secondary school, especially the large number of pupils who do not move to the next level.
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Providing insight into the situation, Alausa revealed that while over 23 million pupils are enrolled in more than 50,000 public primary schools nationwide, only slightly above three million proceed to junior secondary school in public institutions. He described the gap as a major access issue.
The minister stressed the need for state governments to build more schools to accommodate the growing number of learners, noting that private schools cannot absorb the large number of out-of-school children.
As part of the reform, the government will introduce a Learner Identification Number for every child starting from primary school. The number will remain with each pupil throughout their academic journey, regardless of transfers.
According to Alausa, the system will help authorities track students’ progress and quickly identify those who drop out, making it easier to address the reasons behind their absence from school.
