The Federal Government has announced plans to scrap the Junior Secondary School (JSS) Common Entrance Examination and introduce a Learner Identification Number (LIN) to track pupils from primary school throughout their academic journey.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, revealed the plans during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Saturday.
According to Alausa, the reforms aim to improve access to education and ensure better tracking of pupils nationwide. The common entrance examination will be phased out and replaced with a more comprehensive evaluation system.
“It will be replaced by Continuous Assessment (CA). The CA will reflect a pupil’s performance from primary one, and even if a pupil transfers to another school, their records will follow them,” the minister explained.
Alausa said the new system would address gaps in the transition from primary to secondary education, particularly the large number of pupils who fail to progress to the next level.
Highlighting the scope of the challenge, he noted that millions of pupils enrolled in public primary schools do not continue to secondary education. “We have over 50,000 public primary schools in the country with over 23 million pupils. Yet, only about 3 million move on to junior secondary school in public schools. The question is, where are the remaining 20 million?” he asked.
The minister attributed the shortfall largely to limited access to schools and called on state governments to build more facilities. “It is obvious that private schools cannot accommodate all pupils. We need more schools, and I have engaged the Nigerian Governors’ Forum on this. State governments must act to provide more access,” he said.
To improve pupil tracking, the government will introduce a Learner Identification Number for all children from primary school. “The LIN will be unique to each child and remain with them, no matter where they start school or if they transfer later. This will allow us to monitor progress and identify pupils who drop out,” Alausa added.
The minister also disclosed ongoing efforts to revive the school feeding programme to boost enrolment in public schools. He noted that the initiative may be moved to the Federal Ministry of Education for better oversight.
These reforms are part of broader government efforts to strengthen the education sector, improve retention rates, and ensure that more Nigerian children complete basic education.
