Stakeholders Raise Concerns Over New 12 Years Basic Education System

There are growing concerns over the move by the Nigerian government to change the country’s education system from 9:3:4 which is nine years basic education, three years senior secondary education and four years tertiary education to a straight 12 years basic education and four years tertiary education.

The policy adjustment which may scrap some agencies established by the act of the National Assembly, may affect the establishment act of the Universal Basic Education Commission, which Ab initio mandates it to develop policies for free basic and compulsory nine years basic education

The new policy was announced by Nigeria’s Education Minister Tunji Alausa

Nigeria’s education system is highly unrecognisable today from what it was at independence in 1960. Then, the country adopted a 7 -5 – 4 education system, which included seven years of primary school, five years of secondary and 4 years tertiary education. In 1983, this was changed to the 6-3-3-4 system, in line with other west African countries. And in 2008, it changed yet again to a 9-3-4 system.

And now another change looms as Minister of education, Tunji Alausa has proposed a new twelve year basic education and four years tertiary education system.

This new shift, proposes the scrapping of newly established senior secondary education commission and allows the universal basic education commission to manage the new basic education system.

But, did the minister fail to check the UBE Act 2004 page 29 which says Basic education include: “Early childhood care and development education, nine years of formal schooling, that is 6 years of primary and 3 years of junior secondary education, adult literacy and non-formal education, skills acquisition programmes and the education of special groups such as nomads and migrants, girl-child and women, almajirai, street children and disabled groups.

Today, the proposed shift to a 12-year basic education model in Nigeria is raising a lot of concerns by Stakeholders

Editor Paul Akhagbemhe