FG to Scrap Failed School Policy as 20 Million Children Drop Out.

The Federal Government has disclosed that more than 20 million children who enrolled in primary school failed to progress to senior secondary education after dropping out along the learning pathway.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the disclosure in Abuja during the inauguration of the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee. He also announced that the government would phase out the disarticulation policy, which separates Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS), describing it as ineffective.

According to the minister, the policy has resulted in overcrowded junior secondary schools and underutilised senior secondary schools in several states, while prioritising administrative structures over learners’ educational needs. He said the proposal to abolish the policy would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education.

Alausa also lamented that many Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools, and Alternative Schools funded by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) remain uncompleted or have not been handed over to state governments, leaving several completed facilities without students.

To address the challenge, the minister inaugurated a high-level implementation and monitoring committee chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye to oversee the completion, handover, and operationalisation of the projects.

Earlier, UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, said 37 Smart Schools had been established nationwide, with 24 already in operation, while the remaining schools were at various stages of completion. She added that the commission’s Bilingual and Alternative Schools programmes were also expanding access to quality education, particularly for out-of-school and vulnerable children.