In 1989, Nigeria adopted the 6-3-3-4 education system that allocates six years to primary education, three years to Junior secondary schools, another three years to secondary school and at a minimum 4 years to University degree. On 30 June, 2026, the Federal Government announced plans to reform this policy in order to solve the challenge of out-of-school children and to align Nigeria’s educational system with global standards. The proposed reform replaces the 6-3-3-4 with a 12-year uninterrupted basic education system. Under this proposal, students will no longer sit for external examinations required for progression into the senior class from the junior class. Instead, learners will transition seamlessly through twelve years of compulsory basic education before proceeding to tertiary education.
According to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the policy reform is based on evidence. He argued that 4 million out of 24 million children enrolled in primary school made it out of secondary school, leaving the country with 20 million out-of-school children. The concerned aligns with the data released by the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2024. However, a closer examination of both the existing and the proposed education systems raises an important question: Does Nigeria truly need a structural reform, or does it need better education management and implementation?
Globally, the out of school children in the primary level is 79 million, 64 million in lower secondary school (the age range used to estimate this fall into JSS in Nigeria), and 130 million in the upper secondary school. Out of the 130 million, Sub-sahara Africa has 28% and central and southern Asia got 48%. In contrary, United Nation Children Educational Funds (UNICEF) stated that the out of school children in Nigeria is 18.3million, which has ear-marked it as the nation with the highest number of out-of-school children worldwide.
Evidence also suggests that school dropout in Nigeria increases with educational level. According to the 2019 Nigeria Living Standards Survey, the proportion of out-of-school children was 2.1% among children aged 6–11 years (primary school), 7.9 percent among those aged 12–14 years (junior secondary school), and 20 percent among adolescents aged 15–17 years (senior secondary school). The highest rate of school exclusion therefore occurs at the senior secondary level.
The survey further revealed that 53% of out-of-school children cited a lack of interest in schooling as the primary reason for dropping out. Another 23% reported that education was too expensive, while 15 % identified the long distance to schools as a major challenge. Five years after this survey, senior secondary school still records the highest level of school exclusion. This raises an important policy question: Has sufficient attention been paid to the evidence already available? Rather than restructuring the education system, should policymakers first address the barriers identified by the data such as affordability, accessibility, and the quality of learning that may influence students’ interest in remaining in school?
UNESCO has also suggested that students’ lack of interest may be linked to poor learning outcomes. If learners spend years in school without acquiring meaningful knowledge and skills, disengagement becomes inevitable. This has implications beyond the education sector. Human capital contributes an estimated 66% of Nigeria’s wealth, meaning that persistent learning deficits and high dropout rates threaten not only educational outcomes but also the country’s long-term economic growth and development.
How have affordability, accessibility and quality of education influenced learning outcomes?
In Nigeria, public education is constitutionally supported by policies guaranteeing free basic education. However, the cost of schooling and poor learning conditions continue to affect children’s access to education and their learning outcomes. Affordability remains a significant barrier in education. Although tuition is free in public primary and junior secondary schools, parents still bear additional costs of levies and other school materials.
A fact-check done by Dubawa showed that new boarding students at Federal Government Colleges still pay about ₦100,000 as of 2023, highlighting the financial burdens that come with accessing public education . Similarly, a story published by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting ICIR found that some children have stopped schooling for more than four years because their parents could not afford school-related expenses. Furthermore, this investigation showed that new students pay between ₦10,000 – ₦30,000 and ₦5,000 – ₦10,000 for levies for returning pupils in public schools visited in Abuja.
Accessibility also showed whether students can participate consistently in learning. A report by the ICIR, documented how teenagers in Amere trekked two hours to access education everyday due to the lack of functioning secondary schools in their community. Such journeys can expose pupils to safety risks, cause fatigue and reduce the time available for studying and completing assignments. Consequently, the absence of schools within reasonable traveling distances can undermine regular attendance and educational participation, particularly among children from low-income households who cannot afford transportation.
The quality of education further influences what children learn and achieve. In some cases, like the story of Okpokwu LGA of Benue State, government negligence has reduced the quality of education due to teachers shortage, deteriorating infrastructures among others. Taken together, these issues demonstrate that access to education extends beyond the availability of tuition-free schooling.
How has poor Educational Management System affect learning outcome while encouraging drop-out
Poor educational management in Nigeria continues to undermine children’s access to quality education, weaken learning outcomes and increase the risk of school dropout. These challenges are evident in inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortages, weak administrative structures and the ineffective implementation of education policies.
A story by OYO MIND explained how Basirat’s, a 12-year old girl, access to education is hindered by distance to school. Such difficulty may reduce her learning interest. The Basirat ordeal reflects broader challenges by pupils in rural areas. Investigations conducted in some schools in Ibadan showed how deteriorating infrastructure affects learning and teaching. Some teachers are reportedly forced to close school early, especially under rainy or stormy weather conditions. One of the teachers interviewed said that the former head teacher of St. Martins Catholic Basic School had not been replaced after his resignation two years ago. The teacher also observed a decline in attendance every market day.
An in-depth view reveals that Nigeria’s educational management system is poor, ranging from inadequate funding for infrastructure and teacher shortages to corruption, the rising costs of education despite policies guaranteeing free basic education, and the lack of implementation of some stringent laws, to mention but a few. These factors have contributed to increased dropout rates, pushing teenagers into street hawking and apprenticeships and leading to poor learning outcomes due to disinterest that may have developed from the pressure they face.
Will the proposed reform policy deal with accessibility, quality of education and affordability?
The proposed policy reform intends to keep students in school and reduce the rates of drop out by introducing a 12-year uninterrupted basic education model. However, this policy may help keep children in school if only education is easily accessible, the quality of education given improves learning outcomes and generates a zeal to be more informed, and education is made affordable like in the 1990s.
In a report by the Arisenews, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made it clear that the education system between 1955 – 1970 is one of the best systems that should serve as a legacy to improve quality of education, increase accessibility and reduce the rate of drop-out. The policy focused on increasing literacy by allocating about 41% of its budget to education which in turn brought in a 100% enrollment in both rural and urban communities. It built new Teachers’ Colleges for training teachers and improving the quality of education. It provided free food to reduce costs on families, boost enrollment and encourage children’s focus. This policy was brought to the western region by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and it resulted in the increase in literacy in the Western region of the country.
Despite the current UBE Act which requires the government to provide a free education system without levies, most states have failed to look into the additional costs that have driven children out of school. Section 2 of the UBE Act states that: Every Government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and Universal Basic Education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.The act further penalized individual who contravenes its position. The law also interpret that for any government who fails to provide free education or allowing illegal levies constitutes a legal breach, enabling legal challenges against defaulting authorities. Unfortunately, the budget allocated to education at the federal level is not only inadequate but also inconsistent which, in turn, affects the state budget and local government allocation. The changes needed in education are right before our eyes. We only need a strict implementation plan.
Sofiyyat Lawal
Sofiyyat Lawal is a Research Associate at Cheetahs Policy Institute