Federal Government to Scrap Common Entrance Examination, Details Emerge
- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's government will scrap the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination in Nigeria
- A new Learner Identification Number will be introduced to enhance tracking of students' academic journeys across schools
- The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, says the reforms propose Continuous Assessment to improve access and transition from primary to secondary education
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering basic and tertiary education in Nigeria and worldwide
FCT, Abuja - The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government has announced plans to scrap the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said a Learner Identification Number will be introduced to track pupils from primary school through their academic journey.
Source: Twitter
He disclosed that the common entrance examination would be phased out and replaced with a more comprehensive evaluation system.
Alausa said the proposed reforms are aimed at improving access to education.
The minister added that the reforms will ensure better tracking of pupils across the country.
As reported by The Punch, Alausa made this known during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
“It will be replaced by Continuous Assessment, CA. The CA will reflect the performance of the pupil from primary one, and even if a pupil is transferring from one school to another, he will take it along to his new school.”
According to Alausa, the new system would help address gaps in the transition from primary to secondary education.
Alausa said millions of pupils enrolled in public primary schools do not continue their education at the secondary level.
The minister said a large number of pupils fail to progress to the next level when providing data to support the reform.
We have over 50,000 public primary schools in the country with over 23 million pupils. However, from statistics available to us, only a little over 3 million among those pupils move to the junior secondary school level in our public schools. Then, the question is, where are the about 20 million not enrolled in our public secondary schools?”
Source: UGC
Common Entrance: NCEE requirements and registration process
Recall that the Common Entrance registration is a mandatory step for primary school pupils seeking admission into Junior Secondary School (JSS 1).
The National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) is conducted annually for pupils in their final year of primary school.
Read more stories on education reforms:
- Apply Now: Federal Govt Opens Application for Fully-Funded Technical Colleges
- Content Creation, Bricklaying: Full List of 26 trades FG Unveiled for Technical Education Curriculum
- List of 5 Changes FG Introduced to Curriculum for Basic, Senior Secondary, Technical Education
- Federal Govt To Reposition Polytechnics for Innovation, Job Creation
- Jubilation as Tinubu's Govt Takes New Decision on Polytechnics
Measures to tackle WAEC, NECO malpractice
Legit.ng also reported that the federal government introduced new measures to curb malpractice in WAEC, NECO, and other Senior School Certificate Examinations.
Authorities had approved enhanced question randomisation, strict Continuous Assessment timelines, and a unique identity number for candidates.
The reforms had followed an earlier ban on SS3 candidate transfers aimed at blocking examination racketeering.
Source: Legit.ng
