The Federal Government has unveiled the maiden development of minimal standards for Senior Secondary School education to regulate all the activities of senior schools in Nigeria.
The National Executive Senior Secondary School Education Commission (NSSEC), Dr. Iyela Ajayi, disclosed this while addressing journalists on repositioning senior secondary education in Abuja yesterday.
Ajayi explained that the minimal standard aims to solidify benchmarks for all educational activities in the country. This includes determining the number of teachers each school should have, their qualifications, the teacher-student ratio, and the size of classrooms. Additionally, the qualifications for head teachers are outlined.
“We have developed minimal standards for senior secondary education. This is the first time in the history of Nigeria that there will be minimal standards to regulate all activities of secondary schools,” he said.
According to him, the minimum standard also addresses governance issues, ensuring head teachers are appointed based on merit rather than political considerations. These criteria are clearly defined in the minimum standards.
“The minimal standards also define the infrastructure requirements of every school, addressing issues such as the ‘Out of School’ syndrome and insecurity, which contributes to the high number of children out of school.”
“This document is capable of revolutionizing senior secondary education in Nigeria. Our mandate also includes capacity building for teachers because teachers are crucial. If you neglect teachers, you neglect education and development. Quality in teachers leads to quality learners and outcomes, aligning with the national policy of education,” Ajayi emphasized.
He noted that no educational system can rise above the quality of teachers, highlighting the central role teachers play. “If you want to develop this country, you must train teachers, and one of our mandates is to build the capacity of senior secondary school teachers, which we are actively pursuing.”
Speaking further, Ajayi mentioned an advocacy visit to state governments, emphasizing the necessity of their support. He stated that education is only on the concurrent list, and without state government cooperation, success is challenging.”