FG to track students’ journey with identification number as it scraps common entrance

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to scrap the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination and introduce a nationwide student tracking system through a unique identification number.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the proposed reforms during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, explaining that the changes are aimed at improving access to education and monitoring student progression across the country.

Under the new plan, the common entrance examination will be phased out and replaced with a Continuous Assessment (CA) system. This system will track a pupil’s academic performance from primary school and allow records to follow the student even when transferring between schools. Alausa said the reform is necessary to address a major gap in Nigeria’s education system, particularly the sharp drop-off between primary and secondary school enrolment.

According to government data, Nigeria has over 50,000 public primary schools with more than 23 million pupils. However, only slightly above 3 million transition into junior secondary school within the public system, leaving a significant number of children unaccounted for.

The minister questioned the gap, noting that private schools cannot absorb the remaining millions, pointing instead to a widespread lack of access to secondary education. He emphasized that state governments must prioritise building more schools to accommodate growing demand.

To strengthen oversight, the government plans to introduce a Learner Identification Number (LIN) for every child starting from primary school. This unique number will remain with each student throughout their academic journey, regardless of location or school changes.

The system is expected to help authorities track student progress and quickly identify cases where children drop out of school. For example, officials would be able to detect if a student expected to be in junior secondary school is no longer enrolled and investigate the reasons.

In addition, the government is working to revive the school feeding programme as part of efforts to boost enrolment and retention in public schools. There are also plans to move the programme under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education to improve monitoring and effectiveness.

The proposed reforms are part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s education system, reduce dropout rates, and ensure that more children complete basic education.