Lagos govt wants completion of primary six policy for JSS1 admission enforced

The Lagos State government has indicated it willingness to start enforcing the completion of six years primary education policy for all pupils who want to gain admission into junior secondary schools (JSS1) in both the public and private schools in the state.

It said that had been a national policy on education for a long time, indicating years pupils and students are expected to use at each level of education from primary to tertiary schools in the country.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, gave this hint in a statement on Tuesday night as a reaction to a media report that the state government had pegged the age qualification of primary school pupils at 12 years minimum to secure admission into JSS1 in the state and that would start enforcing the policy from next academic session as a way of stopping the “underaged” pupils from gaining admission into that class.

She explained that even though, the state’s Ministry of Education had received concerns from various stakeholders as regards the issue and also held meetings with them before the sudden closure of schools as a result of COVID-19 pandemic in the country, no decision had been made, nor circular issued towards implementation of such.

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But it is important, according to her,  to state that the subject is already under review in the ministry and has been a matter of great concern for the current administration in the state.

Mrs Adefisayo, in the statement made available by the head of Public Affairs unit of the ministry, Mr Kayode Abayomi, said the adverse consequences of non-completion of  primary school curriculum by pupils before rushing into JSS1 were enormous on physical, mental, emotional and social maturity of children.

Education, she stressed, is not only cognitive; but also involves other aspects so as to produce a whole and functional youth who would be able to function effectively in the 21st Century economy.

While disclosing that further meetings with various stakeholders including private schools’ associations and parent bodies, the Office of Education Quality Assurance, the State Universal Basic Education Board, Lagos State Examination Board, All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPPS), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), among others had been scheduled for wider consultation over the proposal but was postponed due to the exigencies of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the meetings would enable the state government solicit the cooperation and participation of all stakeholders in the implementation of the National Policy on Education in the state.
Though the commissioner did not say anything in the statement concerning penalties to defaulters of the proposed policy, she pointed out that meetings would still be held once normalcy returns in the country and the outcome would be made public accordingly.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE