By our reporter
Forty-two years after introduction of the 6-3-3-4 education model, the Federal Government (FG) has consigned it to history.
6-3-3-4 birthed the Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) models in the country, with students undergoing three years in each stage before moving on to higher education.
To replace it, FG on Thursday, February 6, 2025, introduced a compulsory 12-year uninterrupted basic education model.
Now, it is after this that a Nigerian child can aspire to higher education,in a model henceforth to be known as the 12-4 model.
The 6-3-3-4 was introduced in Nigeria in 1983,though it was,in 2006, replaced by the 9-3-4 system, also known as the Universal Basic Education (UBE).
6-3-3-4 was crafted by the country’s rulers at the time to address the educational needs of Nigeria’s citizens and to equip young people with skills to help them become self-reliant.
It followed several educational reforms and policies, including the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme in 1976,which birthed several teacher training colleges, fondly called UPE TTCs, in the land.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the scrapping of 6-3-3-4 and replacement with 12-4 in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, during the 2025 extraordinary National Council on Education (NCE) meeting.
The body is the highest policy-making body in the West African nation’s education sector.
Another major accomplishment of the meeting was that the government sought NCE’s approval to officially adopt 16 years as the minimum entry age requirement into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
All 36 Commissioners of Education in the country’s 36 states as well as the Mandate Secretary for Education in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), attended the meeting.
Not left out were agencies and parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Ministry, alongside development partners
Addressing the august event, the Minister revealed that by subsuming secondary education into basic education, students will benefit from uninterrupted learning up to the age of 16.
According to him, the new policy “is in line with global best practices. The reform will also reduce dropout rates by eliminating financial and systemic barriers that currently prevent students from completing secondary education.”
Alausa added: “Extending basic education to 12 years will ensure a standardised curriculum that is uniformly implemented across the nation.
“This will also facilitate early exposure to vocational and entrepreneurial skills, preparing students for both higher education and employment.”
Further justifying the new model, the Minister said: “Many developed nations have implemented similar systems where basic education spans 12 years, ensuring that students acquire foundational knowledge before specialising at tertiary levels.
“This reform also aligns Nigeria’s education system with international standards, fostering better educational outcomes and global competitiveness.
“It will also lead to economic and social impact. Educated youths contribute significantly to national development.
“When students receive an extended period of compulsory education, they are better equipped to join the workforce with relevant skills. This reform will also reduce child labour and other social vices resulting from premature school dropouts.”
Listing the strategies to successfully blend secondary education into basic education, the Minister named them to include: policy reforms, infrastructure expansion, teacher training and recruitment, funding and partnerships, and curriculum enhancement.
