TUNJI ALAUSA, Nigeria’s minister of education is pushing for the adoption of a 12-year basic education program.
The minister gave a speech on Thursday at the National Council on Education’s (NCE) 2025 special meeting in Abuja, which was attended by MDAs, other development partners, and the commissioners of education from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Alausa, Nigerian education would be reformed to meet international standards by gradually abandoning the 6-3-3-4 paradigm and implementing a 12-4.
Under Nigeria’s 6–3–3–4 educational system, a child starts school at age six and completes six years of primary and secondary school, intending to be 18 years old at the end of the program.
According to Alausa, the government is asking the NCE for permission to establish 16 as the minimum age requirement for admission to postsecondary schools.
According to him, integrating secondary schools into basic education would allow for continuous learning until the age of sixteen.
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A 12-year basic education program, according to the minister, would lower dropout rates by eliminating structural and financial obstacles.
To get pupils ready for college and the workforce, he added, it will standardise the curriculum and provide early vocational training.
If implemented, the program should improve social and economic growth by lowering child labour and giving youth useful skills, according to Alausa.
“Policy reforms, infrastructure expansion, teacher training, and curriculum development are key implementation strategies,” he stated.
