The Federal Government has announced it is replacing the 6-3-3-4 education system with a linear 12-year one. This is without wide consultations with the citizenry or the major stakeholders like parents, intellectuals, teachers, students, employers and labour. Just nine months ago, government had, with immediate effect, imposed major changes in the education system. That was on September 3, 2025, when the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and Minister of State, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, announced that the Tinubu administration had ordered a major review of the national curriculum. They claimed the reforms were to reduce subject “overload,” promote skill development, and align Nigerian education with “global best practices.”
The ministers announced that the fundamental changes, which, like a military decree, took immediate effect, are a testament to the Tinubu administration’s commitment to invigorate education, enhance teaching, and equip students with the skills and knowledge required to flourish globally. The plethora of reasons given for replacing the 44-year 6-3-3-4 system do not stand up to any critical scrutiny or logic. First, it claims the aim is to reduce school dropouts. It said there are about 80,000 public primary schools to some 15,000 junior secondary schools. This imbalance, the administration argues, has contributed to overcrowding and limited access to education. So, how does a change of system result in availability of more secondary schools or improved access to education? What is required is simply to build and equip more schools.
