The Federal Government has unveiled plans to abolish the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination and replace it with a new system that tracks pupils throughout their academic journey using a unique identification number.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, explaining that the reform is aimed at improving access, accountability, and continuity in the education sector.
Under the proposed changes, the common entrance examination will be phased out and replaced with Continuous Assessment (CA), which will capture a pupil’s academic performance from primary one and follow them even when they transfer between schools.
According to the minister, the reform is necessary to address the alarming gap in the transition from primary to secondary education.
Despite over 23 million pupils in more than 50,000 public primary schools nationwide, only about three million proceed to junior secondary schools.
He described the disparity as a clear indication of limited access, stressing the urgent need for state governments to expand educational infrastructure and build more schools.
To strengthen monitoring, the government will introduce a Learner Identification Number for every pupil at the primary level.
The unique number will remain with each child throughout their education, enabling authorities to track academic progress and identify dropouts in real time.
Alausa noted that the system would help determine why some pupils fail to transition to the next level, ensuring timely intervention.
He also revealed plans to revive the school feeding programme to boost enrolment and retention, adding that it may be repositioned under the Federal Ministry of Education for better oversight.
The reforms are part of broader efforts by the Federal Government to improve access, reduce dropout rates, and ensure more Nigerian children complete basic education.
