The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has advocated a transition to a 12-year basic education system in Nigeria, supporting a shift from the current 9-3-4 model to a 12-4 structure.
Speaking at the 2025 Extraordinary National Council of Education meeting in Abuja on Thursday, Alausa underlined the necessity for this change to align Nigeria’s education system with global norms.
The proposed 12-year model and the adoption of a national bullying policy were among the important topics discussed by the NCE, the highest policymaking body in Nigeria’s education sector.
According to Alausa, “it is crucial to recognize that although the 9-3-4 educational system has advantages, it also has disadvantages, such as the requirement that students work in order to continue their education.”
Improving Education Quality, Outcomes Alausa described the advantages of the proposed 12-year basic education system, highlighting its potential to provide a more structured and uninterrupted learning experience: “A 12-year basic education model will ensure a continuous, uninterrupted curriculum, promoting better standardization and fostering quality assurance in the education system.”
By switching from the 9-3-4 to the 12-4 system of education, Nigeria will be in line with international standards in terms of preparing students for better tertiary education.
Addressing the 16-Year Tertiary Admission Policy “It will also ensure that students receive a more comprehensive and continuous learning experience, improve educational outcomes, and contribute to a more educated populace that drives Nigeria’s economic development.”
The policy that requires students to be at least 16 years old before being admitted into tertiary institutions was another urgent issue on the agenda.
“I am sure many of you have heard about the challenges we face as a nation with talented, bright students being disenfranchised from pursuing tertiary education.”
“In any society, it is crucial to standardize the education of highly functional and exceptionally gifted students.”
“We are now preventing these students, after finishing secondary education at the age of 16, from attending university until they are 18 years old, which delays their development and harms their futures.”
“These students are capable and brave. If we leave them idle, we risk exacerbating mental health issues,” Alausa said.
Strengthening Technical Education Alausa also emphasized the government’s intention to transform federal science and technical colleges into federal technical colleges, highlighting the vital role that technical education plays in closing the skills gap in Nigeria’s labor market.
“A nation’s natural and human resources can be harnessed more effectively when technical education is provided.
Therefore, technical education contributes significantly to national development, driving cultural and industrial progress,” he said.