The Federal Government is making a major change to Nigeria’s education system by scrapping the current Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) structure.

In its place, a new compulsory 12-year uninterrupted basic education system will be introduced, ensuring that every child receives a continuous education before moving on to higher institutions.

With this decision, the widely known 6-3-3-4 system—six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary, three years of senior secondary, and four years of higher education—will be replaced with a 12-4 model, where students will go through 12 years of basic education before advancing to tertiary institutions.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this known during the 2025 extraordinary National Council on Education meeting in Abuja. He explained that this reform aligns with global best practices and aims to reduce dropout rates by removing financial and systemic obstacles that often prevent students from completing their education.

According to Alausa, extending basic education to 12 years will create a uniform and standardized curriculum across the country.

This will not only improve the quality of education but also expose students to vocational and entrepreneurial skills early, equipping them with practical knowledge that can be useful whether they choose to further their education or enter the workforce.

Dr. Alausa emphasized that many developed nations already operate similar systems where students go through 12 years of structured learning before choosing specialized fields in higher education.