Why Nigeria must make senior secondary education free, compulsory

Every week, we talk about Nigeria’s development challenges, education, insecurity, poverty and youth unemployment. But beneath these headlines lies a quiet, growing crisis: millions of Nigerian youths completing junior secondary school with no opportunity to proceed to senior secondary. They are stuck at the crossroads, not by choice but by circumstance. We must act and […]

Every week, we talk about Nigeria’s development challenges, education, insecurity, poverty and youth unemployment. But beneath these headlines lies a quiet, growing crisis: millions of Nigerian youths completing junior secondary school with no opportunity to proceed to senior secondary. They are stuck at the crossroads, not by choice but by circumstance. We must act and we must act now.

Nigeria’s education policy guarantees free basic education for nine years—six years of primary and three of junior secondary. But what happens after that? Families are left to bear the burden of tuition, uniforms, textbooks, transport and exam fees. For many, this is where the journey ends. And so, while we boast about UBE (Universal Basic Education), the truth is that we leave our youth stranded halfway to the promise of a better life.

A junior secondary school certificate has little to no value in the job market. Most entry-level jobs demand a minimum of a senior secondary certificate. Without it, these young people cannot find meaningful employment or access further education or vocational training. Instead, they drift into the shadows underemployed, unemployed, or worse, vulnerable to social vices and extremism.

The ripple effects are dangerous. Nigeria cannot afford to ignore this generation of stranded youth. We talk about security and economic growth, but how can we achieve either when a critical segment of our population lacks the skills and education to contribute?

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Globally, smart countries have taken bold steps. Kenya made secondary education free in 2008, resulting in a sharp increase in enrolment and productivity. Ghana has also taken commendable steps in this direction. These countries understand what we must learn—education is not charity; it is a national investment.

Back home, some states have taken initiative. Kaduna and Oyo, for instance, have provided free senior secondary education with encouraging results. But the federal government must lead by example and enshrine this policy into law. It is not enough to leave it to chance or state-level goodwill.

This brings me to another barrier: the costs of final examinations like WAEC, NECO, and JAMB. These are bottlenecks that prevent thousands from completing their education journeys. If the exams cannot be scrapped (and I’m suggesting we do), then at the very least, they should be free for students attending public schools. There is no point in offering free education only to slam the door shut at the point of certification.

Moreover, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 is crystal clear: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This includes both formal and informal education. Nigeria, as a signatory, must align its education policies with these global standards—not just on paper but in practice.

The conversation must now shift from whether we can afford to make senior secondary education free, to whether we can afford not to. We must back this with adequate funding, recruit and train more teachers, rehabilitate classrooms, and launch national awareness campaigns. We must also integrate the private sector—companies can help bridge the gap through internships, apprenticeships and curriculum input.

And finally, we must hold ourselves accountable. Through data collection, monitoring, and evaluation, we must track enrolment, retention, and outcomes to ensure the system works—not just for those in cities, but also for the most vulnerable in rural and marginalised communities.

Nigeria has over 18 million out-of-school children and youths, according to UNICEF. That number should terrify us. But instead of despairing, we must respond with policy, with action and above all, with political will. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has an opportunity to make history here—by doing for senior secondary education what UBE did for basic education.

It’s time we stopped treating education as an optional extra. If we are serious about fighting poverty, joblessness, and insecurity, then making senior secondary education free and compulsory is not just good policy, it is common sense.

 

Tijjani Mukaddas wrote through [email protected]