The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially introduced a policy setting 12 years as the minimum age for admission into JSS1.
This is part of a comprehensive guideline rolled out by the Federal Ministry of Education through a new policy document on Non-State Schools, which was launched in July 2025.
This regulation mandates that a child must have completed six years of primary education and be approximately 12 years old before gaining entry into JSS1.
The move aligns with national efforts to standardize education progression and ensure children enter secondary school at developmentally appropriate ages.
The policy outlines a strict age-based educational ladder, starting from early childhood. According to the new guideline, nursery education will span three years: Nursery One begins at age three, Nursery Two at four, and a compulsory Kindergarten year at age five.
Children are then admitted into Primary One at six years old, continuing for six years until the transition to junior secondary school.
The policy is based on specifications from the 2013 edition of the National Policy on Education, reinforcing structured age progression and emphasizing the importance of foundational learning before advancing through the education system.
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“Every child must complete six years of primary education. They shall be admitted into Junior Secondary School when they have completed six years of primary education, at around the age of twelve years,” the policy states.
The policy also addresses the growing role of non-state schools—private, independent, or religious institutions not operated by the government.
These schools are often funded through tuition, religious organizations, community contributions, or private entities.
Despite their expansion, the policy notes that non-state schools vary widely in terms of quality and standards, prompting the need for greater regulatory oversight.
The Nigeria Education Digest 2022 provides further context for the surge in private education. It states that non-state schools now outnumber government-run schools at the junior secondary level in 26 out of Nigeria’s 36 states. At the primary level, however, public schools still dominate in 19 states.
Between 2017 and 2022, the number of private primary schools grew by 31.56%, compared to only 3.3% growth in state-owned primary schools.
A similar trend was seen at the junior secondary level, where private schools increased by 35.06%, while state schools grew by just 6.8%.
Previously, former Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman had advocated for 18 years as the minimum age for university admission.
However, current Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa has since revised this to 16 years, making the current policy on primary and secondary education consistent with the adjusted university entry age.
