Education
Federal Government Sets 12-Year Minimum Age Requirement for JSS1 Admission
A new policy document on Non-State Schools, launched last week by the Federal Ministry of Education, has set the minimum entry age for pupils seeking admission into Junior Secondary School (JSS1) at 12, following the completion of six years of primary education.
Non-State Schools, also referred to as independent or private schools or non-government schools, are educational institutions not managed by the government.
They are typically financed by tuition payments as well as donations from individuals, businesses, communities, faith-based organisations and foundations.
According to the policy document, non-state schools are increasingly playing a major role in education provision in the country, despite variations in the quality of education being offered across the categories of schools.
Speaking on the age of enrolment, the Federal Ministry of Education said, “Nursery education shall be of three years’ duration.
“Children shall be admitted into Nursery One when they attain the age of three years, Nursery Two on attaining the age of four, and one year of compulsory pre-primary education (Kindergarten) on attaining the age of five years, in accordance with the specification of Section 2(17) of the NPE, 2013 Edition.”
On the age of enrolment for junior secondary schools, the policy clearly stated that, “Basic education shall be of nine years’ duration. There shall be a six-year primary and a three-year Junior Secondary School (JSS). Children shall be admitted into Primary One when they attain the age of six years.
“Every child must complete six years of primary education. They shall be admitted into Junior Secondary School (JSS1) when they have completed six (6) years of primary education, at around the age of twelve (12) years.”
If this new policy is followed to the letter, it implies that Nigerian learners would attain the rightful age of 18 before being qualified for entrance into higher institutions.
Recently, there have been controversies over the mandatory age of entry into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The former Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, announced 18 years as the minimum entry requirement, before the new minister, Dr Tunji Alausa, reverted the policy to 16 years for entry into university.
The Nigeria Education Digest 2022, published by the ministry, indicated that “Non-state schools outnumber state schools in at least 26 states of the federation at the Junior Secondary level, whereas at the primary level, state schools outnumber non-state schools in 19 states of the federation.
“The growth in the number of non-state schools between 2017 and 2022 (the last five years reported) has been faster than that of state schools.
“Non-state primary schools grew in number by 31.56 per cent between 2017 and 2022, while state schools grew in number by 3.3 per cent within the same period.
“At the Junior Secondary level, non-state schools grew in number by 35.06 per cent between 2017 and 2022, while state schools grew in number by 6.8 per cent only within the same period.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to use the remaining 10 days of the one-month window granted to it to fully resolve lingering issues affecting the university system.
The call followed resolutions from the union’s National Executive Council meeting held at Taraba State University, Jalingo, between November 8 and 9.
In a statement, ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna said the warning became necessary as some government officials were “undermining the negotiation process” by making statements that misrepresented government offers and the status of implementation.
ASUU suspended its two-week warning strike on October 22, giving government until November 22 to meet key demands, including the review of the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and release of the university revitalisation fund.
The union warned it would resume industrial action without notice if concrete steps were not taken.
Prof. Piwuna said part-payment of promotion arrears dating back to 2017 and the release of third-party deductions were merely confidence-boosting gestures and not the core issues under negotiation. He stressed that while some progress had been made in non-monetary areas, salary and welfare matters required a more radical approach.
The union said the real challenge was lack of political will to prioritise education, insisting that academics deserve better living and working conditions.
The Federal Ministry of Education has announced the commencement of disbursement under the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund (TISSF) to strengthen staff welfare, institutional productivity, and innovation across Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
This was contained in a press statement released late Thursday night and made available to the media by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry.
Launched in August 2025, following a high-level stakeholders’ session in July, the TISSF has now moved from planning to implementation, with over 9,000 staff beneficiaries receiving disbursements in the first year.
This represents 28 per cent of the 33,000 verified applicants drawn from 219 federal and state tertiary institutions across the federation.
According to the statement, in the first year of implementation, the beneficiary composition reflects a 30:70 ratio of academic to non-academic staff, underscoring the Ministry’s commitment to inclusive support for all categories of tertiary institution personnel.
Speaking on the milestone, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, commended the leadership and vision of President Bola Tinubu.
“The President is delivering for our tertiary institutions for welfare, for productivity, and for the future. Within just four months, payments havee started going out. This is a President that delivers, and the Ministry of Education is profoundly grateful for his continuous support and commitment to staff welfare,” he stated.
The TISSF initiative represents a critical component of the Federal Government’s Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) framework.
It is strategically designed to improve the welfare, morale, and performance of tertiary institution staff while reinforcing the institutions as centres of excellence, innovation, and knowledge creation.
Through concessionary zero-interest loans and welfare support packages, the TISSF empowers staff by offering each member up to N10 million in loans to address key livelihood and productivity challenges, including access to housing, education, healthcare, mobility, and small business development.
“This Fund is not merely about disbursement; it is about restoring dignity, rewarding dedication, and rebuilding the foundation of our knowledge economy,” said Dr Alausa.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended the two-week warning strike it began on October 13, 2025.
The strike, which was set to expire next Monday, was suspended following renewed commitments from the Federal Government and the National Assembly to address the union’s demands.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the announcement at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, citing recent interventions and engagements with the Yayale Ahmed-led committee and the Deputy Senate President as the reasons for suspending the action before its scheduled end.
However, the lecturers urged the government to take advantage of the one-month suspension window to meet their demands, which include the review of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and disbursement of the university revitalisation fund, among others.
ASUU also warned that the union would resume the industrial action without prior notice if no concrete steps are taken within the next one month.
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