The Federal Government has introduced a new rule that sets 12 years as the minimum age a child must reach before starting Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1) in Nigeria.
This policy was announced by the Federal Ministry of Education as part of a new guideline for private schools across the country.
The decision was included in a recently released document focused on non-state schools, which are privately owned institutions not run by the government.
These schools are often funded through school fees, donations from individuals and corporate bodies, religious organizations, and non-profit groups.
According to the ministry, a child is expected to spend three years in nursery school, beginning at age three.
Nursery One will start at age three, Nursery Two at four, followed by a compulsory pre-primary class at age five.
After this stage, children are to enter Primary One at age six and complete six years of primary education before moving into JSS1 at age twelve.
This new guideline lays out a clear structure for the basic education journey, which covers nine years in total; six years in primary school and three in junior secondary school.
By following this timeline, students are expected to finish secondary school at around 18, which aligns with the general age considered appropriate for university entry.
The age requirement for university admission has been a topic of debate in recent years.
While a previous education minister proposed 18 as the ideal entry age, the current minister later reduced the guideline to 16.
The 12 years can’t work. These days that a 2 year old baby starts school. And age benchmark to enter higher institutions has been fixed to 16 years. How then will 12 years to enter JSS1 be possible?
I just hope our leaders can get things right and make the right calculations before making any policy or decisions.