Adesanya-Davies Hails Tinubu’s JSS, SSS Reintegration Plan

….Says Reform Will Curb Dropouts

Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, an Applied Linguistics and Curriculum Development specialist at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government for plans to reintegrate Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) into a unified six-year secondary education structure.

Adesanya-Davies described the proposed reform as a bold and child-centred initiative capable of addressing structural challenges affecting Nigeria’s secondary education system.

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, recently announced plans to reintegrate JSS and SSS into a unified six-year framework. President Tinubu has also transmitted the National Secondary Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to the National Assembly to provide legislative backing for the reform.

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday, Adesanya-Davies said the policy could reduce unnecessary interruptions in students’ educational progression while improving curriculum continuity, retention and learning outcomes.

She said the proposed structure would restore an educational arrangement similar to what many Nigerians experienced in previous decades.

According to her, the separation between JSS and SSS has created avoidable discontinuities, particularly for students who face another admission process after completing JSS3.

She warned that inadequate spaces at the SSS level could force some otherwise qualified students out of school.

“A child should not complete one stage of secondary education only to discover that the next stage is inaccessible because of inadequate spaces,” she said.

The university don said the reform should go beyond simply merging administrative structures, stressing that curriculum planning, teacher development, assessment, infrastructure and student support systems must also be integrated.

She said a unified JSS1-to-SS3 pathway could help ensure that knowledge and skills acquired at each stage build progressively towards the next.

Adesanya-Davies also called for comprehensive retraining of teachers to equip them for the revised curriculum, assessment requirements and diverse learning needs of adolescents.

Better utilisation of resources

The professor said the reform could also improve the utilisation of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, workshops, ICT facilities and teaching personnel.
However, she cautioned that reintegration must be properly planned and adequately funded to prevent the reform from becoming merely an administrative exercise.

She urged the government to address overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, inadequate learning materials, examination pressures and the digital divide alongside the structural changes.

Adesanya-Davies urges speedy legislative action
Adesanya-Davies called on the National Assembly to give the National Secondary Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026, careful and expeditious consideration.

She said the legislation should clearly define responsibilities, funding arrangements, standards, accountability mechanisms and implementation timelines for the Federal Government, state governments and other education stakeholders.

She also urged state governments to begin preparations for implementation instead of waiting until the legislation becomes fully operational.
Rivers State urged to key into reform
The education specialist particularly encouraged the Rivers State Government, Ministry of Education, education boards, school proprietors, teachers and other stakeholders to begin consultations on implementing the reform.

She said Rivers State has the intellectual and institutional capacity to become a model for successful implementation, with universities, colleges of education and teacher-training institutions playing active roles.

Adesanya-Davies further said seamless progression could benefit vulnerable children and those from disadvantaged backgrounds who may struggle to overcome another admission barrier after JSS3.
Calls for wider sensitisation

She urged the Federal Government to embark on extensive sensitisation involving parents, teachers, students, traditional institutions, religious organisations, civil society groups and school proprietors.

According to her, clear communication will be essential to prevent misinformation and anxiety from undermining the reform.

She also recommended measurable benchmarks, including student retention, transition rates, learning outcomes, teacher-student ratios, infrastructure utilisation, examination performance and dropout rates, to assess the policy’s effectiveness.

Adesanya-Davies commended President Tinubu and Alausa for their willingness to reconsider longstanding structures in the education sector.
She said the ultimate focus of the reform should be to put the Nigerian child at the centre of education policy.

“Education is the foundation of national development. If we get basic and secondary education right, we strengthen the human capital upon which our economy, democracy, science, technology and national development depend,” she said.

She pledged to continue contributing through her academic and professional work to curriculum review, teacher education, educational research, policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s education system.