The Federal Government has approved 12 years as the new minimum age for admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1) for pupils who have completed six years of primary education.
This development is contained in a new policy document on Non-State Schools, unveiled last week by the Federal Ministry of Education. The directive aligns with the 2013 edition of the National Policy on Education (NPE), which mandates a structured age-based progression through Nigeria’s basic education cycle.
According to the policy, nursery education spans three years, with children entering Nursery One at the age of three, Nursery Two at four, and Kindergarten at five years old. Primary education begins at the age of six and must run for six uninterrupted years before admission into JSS1, typically around the age of 12. “Every child must complete six years of primary education. They shall be admitted into Junior Secondary School when they have completed this, at around the age of 12,” the document stated.
If implemented nationwide, this will place the average age of university entry at 18 — a point that has triggered policy debate in recent years. Former Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman had previously proposed 18 as the minimum age for university admission, a decision later revised to 16 by his successor, Dr Tunji Alausa.
The document also highlights the rising influence of private education providers. Non-State Schools — including private, faith-based, and community-funded institutions — have outpaced public schools in growth. Between 2017 and 2022, non-state junior secondary schools experienced a 35.06% growth rate, compared to 6.8% for their state-run counterparts.
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