Philomina Brando
The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the common entrance examination for pupils transitioning from primary to junior secondary school, replacing it with a Continuous Assessment system.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, stating that the proposed system would track pupils’ academic performance from Primary One.
According to him, the Continuous Assessment model would remain valid even when pupils transfer between schools, ensuring continuity in evaluating learning outcomes.
Alausa explained that the reform forms part of broader efforts by the Federal Government of Nigeria to address gaps in access to secondary education.
He said, “Nigeria has over 50,000 public primary schools with more than 23 million pupils, but only about 3 million proceed to public junior secondary schools. We must ask ourselves—where are the others going?”
The minister noted that private schools lack the capacity to absorb the large number of pupils who do not transition into public secondary schools.
He stressed the urgent need for state governments to invest in infrastructure by building more schools to accommodate the growing number of learners.
To enhance monitoring, Alausa revealed that the government would introduce a Learner Identification Number for every child starting from primary school.
“The unique number will allow us to track each child’s progress and identify those who drop out of the system,” he said.
He added that the Continuous Assessment system would provide a more comprehensive evaluation of pupils, reducing reliance on one-off examinations.
The minister also hinted at plans to revive the school feeding programme, noting that its oversight may be transferred to the Federal Ministry of Education to improve implementation and boost school attendance.
The proposed reforms, according to him, are aimed at improving access, continuity, and quality within Nigeria’s basic education system.