By Mercy Peter
Nigeria’s current National Policy on Education, which adopts the 9-3-4 (formerly 6-3-3-4) system, has continued to generate debate among education stakeholders, with experts arguing that while the transition from junior to senior secondary school presents a potential dropout point, poverty and broader socio-economic challenges remain the primary causes of school abandonment across the country.
This position is contained in a policy analysis by Dr. O.I. Olorungbemi of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT UBEB), Abuja, titled “The Current National Policy on Education and School Dropout in Nigeria.”
The paper examines the strengths and shortcomings of Nigeria’s current education structure, concluding that the policy should be strengthened rather than abandoned through improved transition support, expanded financial assistance, enhanced security, and greater investment in technical and vocational education.
Nigeria’s National Policy on Education provides for nine years of compulsory basic education, comprising six years of primary education and three years of junior secondary education, followed by three years of senior secondary education and four years of tertiary education.
According to the paper, the structure was deliberately designed to provide learners with multiple educational and career pathways after completing basic education.
Rather than compelling every student to pursue conventional senior secondary education, the policy creates opportunities for admission into technical colleges, vocational institutions, entrepreneurial training centres and other specialised programmes where practical skills can be developed.
The analysis notes that this flexibility enables students to align their educational choices with their interests, abilities and career aspirations while reducing excessive dependence on university education.
Dr. Olorungbemi argues that one of the major strengths of the policy lies in its emphasis on technical and vocational education.
The transition between junior and senior secondary education, the paper explains, allows students to acquire practical competencies in sectors such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, information technology, creative industries and entrepreneurship.
According to the analysis, expanding vocational education can produce a larger skilled workforce, encourage self-employment, reduce youth unemployment and improve national productivity.
The paper cites the 2021 UNESCO report on education, which advocates stronger investment in skills acquisition as a critical driver of sustainable economic development.
The paper also highlights the policy’s potential to support children from economically disadvantaged households.
It argues that after completing the compulsory nine-year basic education cycle, learners whose families cannot afford prolonged academic education have opportunities to acquire employable technical and vocational skills, enabling them to earn incomes while retaining the possibility of returning to formal education later.
According to the analysis, this reflects the principle of lifelong learning and recognises that university education is not the only pathway to economic success or national development.
Despite these advantages, the paper acknowledges growing concerns among education researchers that the transition between junior and senior secondary education has become a stage at which many students permanently leave school.
Dr. Olorungbemi notes that every transition within an educational system presents an additional opportunity for learners to discontinue their education, particularly among vulnerable households struggling with poverty.
Research cited in the paper indicates that many students who complete junior secondary school fail to progress because of financial hardship, child labour, insecurity, early marriage, teenage pregnancy and limited access to senior secondary schools.
The analysis references UNESCO’s 2022 Global Education Monitoring Report, which identifies educational transitions as critical periods during which dropout rates rise significantly in many developing countries, including Nigeria.
The paper further cites UNICEF’s 2023 State of the World’s Children report, which states that Nigeria continues to record one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children globally.
According to the analysis, one of the major barriers to continued schooling is the inability of many households to meet both the direct and indirect costs associated with senior secondary education.
The challenge is particularly acute in rural communities where students often travel long distances to access senior secondary schools or have no such facilities within reasonable proximity.
These barriers, the paper argues, significantly increase the likelihood that children who complete junior secondary education may never return to school.
The analysis also draws on findings from Nigerian researchers.
It references a 2020 study by Aja-Okorie and Adali, which identified financial hardship, inadequate educational facilities and weak transition support mechanisms as major contributors to school dropout after junior secondary education.
Similarly, a 2021 study by Okeke and colleagues found that although the Universal Basic Education programme has significantly expanded access to basic education, progression into senior secondary school remains low in several states because many students disengage from schooling immediately after completing the compulsory education cycle.
While acknowledging that educational transition contributes to dropout, the paper argues that blaming the 9-3-4 structure alone would be misleading.
Instead, it identifies poverty as the strongest predictor of school abandonment in Nigeria.
Children from poor households, according to the analysis, are frequently compelled to leave school to support family incomes through labour or domestic responsibilities regardless of the educational structure.
The paper notes that household income, parental education, unemployment and family size remain among the most consistent determinants of school participation and completion.
These findings are supported by the World Bank’s 2022 Nigeria Development Update.
Beyond economic challenges, the analysis identifies insecurity and socio-cultural practices as major obstacles to school retention.
Armed conflict, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence, child trafficking, early marriage, teenage pregnancy and cultural beliefs discouraging girls’ education continue to force thousands of children out of classrooms across different regions of Nigeria.
According to the paper, these factors operate independently of the country’s education structure and would continue to undermine enrolment and completion rates even if the current policy were replaced.
Rather than abolishing the 9-3-4 education system, Dr. Olorungbemi recommends strengthening implementation through targeted interventions.
Among the recommendations are increased financial support for vulnerable families, expanded access to senior secondary schools, improved security across the country, stricter sanctions against child trafficking offenders, and enhanced transition support for students moving from junior to senior secondary education.
The paper also advocates greater deployment of professional guidance counsellors to educate parents and communities on the importance of continuous schooling and career planning.
The policy analysis concludes that Nigeria’s education structure remains fundamentally sound because it broadens access to diverse learning opportunities, supports technical and vocational education, promotes entrepreneurship and accommodates learners with varying interests and abilities.
However, achieving the objectives of the National Policy on Education, the paper argues, will depend less on changing the structure itself and more on addressing the underlying economic, institutional and social challenges that continue to push millions of Nigerian children out of school.
According to the author, sustained government investment, improved social protection, stronger educational support systems and enhanced security will be essential if Nigeria is to significantly reduce school dropout rates and realise the full potential of its education policy.
