Non-State Schools Nigeria policy sets 12 years as the minimum entry age into Junior Secondary Schools, aligning with revised primary and nursery age guidelines
Non-State Schools Nigeria must now comply with a newly issued Federal Ministry of Education policy that pegs the minimum age for Junior Secondary School (JSS1) admission at 12 years.
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This development aligns with structured benchmarks on early childhood education and entry ages across nursery and primary school levels.
The policy document, launched last week, outlines that children must first complete six years of primary education after entering Primary One at the age of six, making 12 the appropriate age for transition into JSS1.
“Nursery education shall be of three years’ duration,” the Ministry stated.
“Children shall be admitted into Nursery One at age three, Nursery Two at four, and Kindergarten at five.”
This age progression is in line with the National Policy on Education (NPE), which stipulates a full cycle of nine years for basic education, combining six years of primary and three years of junior secondary school.
The implication of the policy is significant. If implemented strictly, students would not become eligible for tertiary education until they turn 18 — a major point of recent debate.
The previous Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, had endorsed 18 as the minimum university entry age, a decision later revised by his successor, Dr Tunji Alausa, to 16 years.
The policy is also informed by the fast growth of private or non-state schools.
According to the Nigeria Education Digest 2022, non-state schools now outnumber public schools at the junior secondary level in at least 26 states.
From 2017 to 2022, non-state primary schools grew by 31.56 percent compared to 3.3 percent for state-run schools.
At the junior secondary level, the growth was 35.06 percent for non-state institutions against 6.8 percent for public ones.
The Ministry acknowledged the increasingly vital role of non-state institutions, even as it cited variations in educational quality across the sector.
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The aim, it said, is to balance access and quality while standardising educational timelines nationwide.
