The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to scrap the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination, replacing it with a Continuous Assessment system and introducing a nationwide Learner Identification Number to track pupils’ academic progress.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the proposed reforms during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Saturday, describing them as critical steps toward improving access to education and addressing systemic gaps.
Under the new policy, the Common Entrance Examination will be phased out and replaced with Continuous Assessment (CA), which will evaluate pupils’ performance from primary one through their transition into secondary school.
“It will be replaced by Continuous Assessment. The CA will reflect the performance of the pupil from primary one, and even if a pupil transfers, the record follows them,” Alausa explained.
The minister expressed concern over declining transition rates from primary to junior secondary school, citing data that shows a significant number of pupils are unable to continue their education.
“With over 50,000 public primary schools and more than 23 million pupils, only a little over three million progress to junior secondary school. So where are the remaining millions?” he queried.
According to Alausa, the gap highlights a critical access challenge, prompting renewed calls for increased investment in school infrastructure. He noted that discussions have already been held with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to encourage state governments to build more schools.
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To strengthen monitoring and accountability, the government plans to introduce a unique Learner Identification Number for every child, starting from primary school.
The system will allow authorities to track students’ movement across schools and identify cases of dropout in real time.
“If a child is expected to be in JSS1 and is not there, we will know and investigate why,” the minister said.
In addition, the government is working to revive the school feeding programme to boost enrolment and retention in public schools, with plans to place it under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Education.
Education stakeholders say the reforms, if effectively implemented, could significantly improve Nigeria’s basic education system by enhancing data tracking, increasing school access, and ensuring that more children complete their academic journey.