6-3-3-4 not Scrapped, Alausa Clarifies

Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education 

The Honourable Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa has clarified that the 6-3-3-4 system of education currently in operation in Nigeria is not scrapped. Dr. Alausa made the clarification in a post on his verified X account @DrTunjiAlausa Friday.

The Minister explained that what the National Council on Education, NCE, deliberated on was the extension of compulsory basic education from 9 to 12 years. Debunking the report that the 6+3-3-4 system has been scrapped, he said, 

"To clarify, this proposal DOES NOT “scrap JSS and SSS.” Instead, it means that every child must complete all 12 years of schooling (Primary 1 to SS3/Year 1 to Year 12)."

Urging Nigerians to disregard media reports especially on blog sites that the system has been jettisoned, He said, "Please disregard the misinformation circulating on blogs. As I mentioned in my press briefing today, this policy change is part of our broader strategy to ensure that our children are educated properly."

Dr Alausa explained further that the new policy "is aimed at reducing the dropout rate and the number of Out-of-School Children. By ensuring students complete schooling through SS3/Year 12, they will be better equipped with knowledge and life skills. Moreover, this will help prevent the regression of knowledge that we often see when students drop out before SS1/Year 10."

The Honourable Minister listed other policies that came under focus at the extraordinary session of the NCE to include:

*National Language Policy

*National Policy on Education

*Nigeria’s First Anti-Bullying Policy

*The Repositioning of Federal Science & Technology Colleges (FSTCs) to Federal Technical Colleges (FTCs) and

*The Reversal of the 16-year-old age enrolment criteria for tertiary institutions.

In less than 2 years of the Tinubu government, Nigerian education sector has recorded significant progressive changes. Among these are the student loan scheme which has disbursed loans to hundreds of thousands of students, establishment of many new and specialized tertiary institutions and improved funding as evinced in the allocation of about 1 trillion Naira to TETFUND in the 2025 Appropriation Bill.