ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The National Senior Secondary Education Commission announced on Monday that it has issued a one-year deadline to state governments to adopt the newly established minimum benchmarks for senior secondary schools.
This was disclosed by the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Iyela Ajayi, during a media interaction in Abuja.
Ajayi, who applauded the strong backing NSSEC has received from the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, said the Commission has been committed to developing systems that will transform the quality, structure, and accountability of senior secondary education across the country.
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He highlighted that one of the Commission’s key achievements is the introduction of the National Minimum Standards for Secondary Education unveiled in February.
“The National Minimum Standards has to do with benchmarking requirements for all aspects of secondary education. How many teachers do you have? What should be their qualification? What should be the teacher-student ratio? The infrastructures that you have on-ground, and so on and so forth.”
“The type of buildings you have, the quality of the buildings, all these are clearly spread out in the Minimum Standards,” he said. “We have developed the Minimum Standards, and it was launched in February this year, and we have distributed the Minimum Standards to all the states of the Federation. We have given them 12 months within which to comply because the law establishing this commission has not only given us the power to produce Minimum Standards, but to enforce it.”
He noted that state governments have a year to comply, after which NSSEC will commence enforcement inspections nationwide.
“There must be standards and uniformity. We cannot continue with a situation where students learn under trees or in classrooms without roofs. Those days must end,” he stressed.
Ajayi added that the Commission is also scaling up efforts to improve teacher quality through continuous professional development, such as training for English and Mathematics teachers and capacity-building on AI-enabled teaching methods for educators and administrators.
Regarding curriculum reforms, he highlighted NSSEC’s involvement in recent national changes, including the return of History, reducing curriculum overload, and expanding skill-based education.
Despite funding challenges, he said the Commission has facilitated upgrades in 50 senior secondary schools one per state through constituency projects.
“These include new classrooms, laboratories, and ICT facilities. We are not yet like UBEC, but the little we have done is already changing the narrative,” he said.
Ajayi further disclosed that NSSEC is partnering with telecom companies to provide subsidized broadband for schools and is collaborating with development partners to secure 30,000 tablets for teachers nationwide.
He added that plans are in progress to make computer literacy mandatory for students and broaden learning in robotics, artificial intelligence, and data science.
However, he stressed that inadequate funding remains a major obstacle. “Our major challenge is funding, funding, funding. The law provides 2 per cent of CRF for NSSEC interventions, but as I speak to you, not a kobo has been released,” he stated.
The National Senior Secondary Education Commission is responsible for regulating and overseeing senior secondary education in Nigeria, with a mandate that includes policy formulation, quality assurance, and enforcing standards.
By setting benchmarks and supporting schools, the Commission plays a vital role in improving learning outcomes, preparing students for higher education and employment, and contributing to national development.