By Babatunde Ayedoju
The Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, has clarified the recent decision of the Federal Ministry of Education to abolish the long-standing policy separating junior secondary schools from senior secondary schools.
The decision, which was hinted early this month by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stemmed from the revelation that over 20 million pupils are dropping out before acquiring senior secondary education.
Alausa, during a meeting with officials from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), had stated that the 6-3-3-4 policy, formulated in formulated in 1977 but implemented in 1982, had failed to achieve its objective and had instead worsened access to education across the country.
The proposal, according to the Education Minister, would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education for approval.
Reacting to this development, the Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, stated that separation between junior and senior secondary schools had created a number of challenges, prominent among which was the large number of out-of-school children.
Ajibefun disclosed that in the past, some students, after JSS3, could no longer be traced, a development he attributed to the wrong belief by such students that they had acquired sufficient education.
While emphasising that the three years in senior classes are non-negotiable for secondary school education to be complete, Ajibefun said, “Allowing students to stop at JSS3 is not good enough.
“Many of those who were expected to transition to SS1 could not be traced. Some left school and never returned, thereby increasing the number of out-of-school children.”
Also speaking, the President of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Ondo State chapter, Dr (Mrs) Fadekemi Niran-Jogbodo, said that the proposal, if implemented, would have both positive and negative outcomes.
For the positive outcome, she said that it would reduce dropout rates, because the transition barriers between junior and senior secondary schools, such as external examination and the registration process that precedes it, would be removed
This, according to her, implies that once children are admitted into Year One in secondary school, there would be a continuous learning process till they complete Year Six, which is the final class.
On the other hand, the ANCOPSS president, pointed out that curriculum adjustments would be inevitable, because textbooks, schemes of work, assessment methods, and teacher training would need a major revision.
“This is because what we are doing in JSS 1-3 now is quite different from what we are doing in SS1-3,” she said.
Niran-Jogbodo stated that there would also be a problem of pressure on infrastructure, because existing classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and other facilities may become overstretched, if enrolment increases without corresponding investment.
As a result, additional classrooms, laboratories and instructional materials would be necessary.
She warned that there could be a shortage of teachers, as more qualified teachers would be needed, especially for specialised senior secondary subjects.
“There may be a financial burden, because governments at all levels will need funding to build schools, recruit teachers, and provide learning materials.
“Then, schools may have to reorganise class structure and staffing.
“The principals of schools or the school managers will need to plan for increased enrolment and resource management,” she added.