NSSEC has given states one-year deadline to comply with New Senior Secondary School Benchmarks.
NewsOnline Nigeria repoers that the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) has given state governments a one-year ultimatum to implement newly established minimum standards for senior secondary schools nationwide.
Executive Secretary Dr. Iyela Ajayi announced this on Monday during a media briefing in Abuja, highlighting the Commission’s efforts to overhaul the quality, structure, and accountability of secondary education in Nigeria.
Dr. Ajayi noted that the National Minimum Standards, launched in February 2025, set benchmarks for teacher qualifications, teacher-student ratios, classroom infrastructure, and building quality. “We have distributed these standards to all states and given them 12 months to comply. After this period, NSSEC will begin nationwide enforcement inspections,” he said.
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“The days of students learning under trees or in classrooms without roofs must end,” he added, stressing the importance of uniformity and quality across the nation’s secondary schools.
The Commission is also prioritizing teacher quality through professional development programs, including training in English and Mathematics, as well as AI-driven teaching methods for educators and school administrators.
Regarding curriculum reforms, NSSEC has supported the reintroduction of History, reduced curriculum overload, and expanded skill-based learning programs.
Despite financial constraints, Dr. Ajayi revealed that NSSEC has facilitated upgrades in 50 senior secondary schools across the country, including 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.
The Commission is also engaging telecom companies to provide subsidized broadband access and partnering with development agencies to distribute 30,000 tablets to teachers nationwide. Plans are underway to make computer literacy compulsory for all students and expand programs in robotics, AI, and data science.
However, Dr. Ajayi stressed that funding remains a major challenge. “The law provides 2 percent of the CRF for NSSEC interventions, but as of now, not a kobo has been released,” he lamented.
NSSEC’s overarching mission is to oversee and regulate senior secondary education, ensuring policy development, quality assurance, and standard implementation to improve learning outcomes and prepare students for tertiary education and the workforce.
By setting these standards and providing support to schools, the Commission aims to shape Nigeria’s youth and contribute to national development.
