The Federal Ministry of Education has rolled out a new policy requiring students to be at least 12 years old before entering Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1), following the completion of six years of primary education.

The policy, aimed specifically at non-state (private) schools, outlines a structured nine-year basic education path: three years of nursery, six years of primary, and three years of junior secondary education. Children are expected to start nursery at age 3, move to kindergarten at 5, begin primary school at 6, and reach JSS1 by age 12.

If strictly enforced, this means students won’t be eligible for higher education until around 18—an issue that has stirred debate amid ongoing concerns over age requirements for tertiary admission in Nigeria.

Private schools—often referred to as non-state schools—have seen rapid growth in recent years, outpacing public institutions. According to the Nigeria Education Digest 2022, these schools now outnumber public ones in 26 states at the junior secondary level. Between 2017 and 2022, private junior secondary schools grew by over 35%, while public ones grew by just under 7%.

The policy comes as the federal government seeks to standardize education quality and regulate the fast-expanding private school sector.