The Federal Government has unveiled plans to phase out the junior secondary school common entrance examination and introduce a Learner Identification Number to track students throughout their academic journey.
Tunji Alausa disclosed the development on Saturday during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos. He explained that the current entrance examination would be replaced with a Continuous Assessment (CA) system that reflects a pupil’s performance from primary school and remains valid even when transferring between schools.
According to the minister, the new system will allow pupils to carry their academic records with them, ensuring continuity and a more comprehensive evaluation process.
Alausa said the reforms are designed to improve access to education and address the significant gap in the transition from primary to junior secondary school. He highlighted that Nigeria has over 50,000 public primary schools with more than 23 million pupils, yet only slightly above 3 million progress to junior secondary school.
He questioned the whereabouts of the remaining pupils, pointing to a major gap in the education system. The minister attributed this largely to limited access to secondary education and urged state governments to invest in building more schools to meet growing demand.
He further explained that the proposed Learner Identification Number would help authorities monitor students’ academic progress and identify those who drop out. This, he said, would enable timely intervention and better policy decisions.
In addition, Alausa revealed plans to revive the school feeding programme as part of efforts to boost enrolment. He noted that the initiative may be moved to the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure more effective oversight and implementation.
