The Federal Government has unveiled plans to abolish the Junior Secondary School (JSS) Common Entrance Examination and replace it with a continuous assessment model aimed at improving access to education and monitoring pupils’ academic progress.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made this known during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Saturday, explaining that the reform seeks to bridge existing gaps in the transition from primary to junior secondary education.

Under the proposed system, pupils’ academic records will be tracked through continuous assessment (CA) from Primary One. These records will remain with each learner throughout their schooling and will be transferable when moving between schools.

According to the minister, the decision is driven by alarming statistics that reveal a sharp decline in enrolment between primary and junior secondary levels. While more than 23 million pupils are currently enrolled in public primary schools across the country, only slightly above 3 million advance to public junior secondary schools.

He noted that the disparity highlights a serious access problem, stressing that private schools cannot account for the large number of pupils who fail to transition. To address this, he said the government is engaging state authorities on the urgent need to construct more schools to accommodate growing enrolment.

As part of the reform measures, the government also plans to introduce a Learner Identification Number for every child at the primary level. This unique number will allow authorities to monitor students’ academic journeys and identify those who drop out.

The minister added that the government is also working to revive the school feeding programme to encourage enrolment and improve retention, with plans to possibly move its management under the Ministry of Education.