FG Moves to Track Every Child as New Details Reveal Plan to Tackle Massive School Dropout Crisis
The Federal Government’s plan to introduce a Learner Identification Number (LIN) and phase out the Junior Secondary School Common Entrance Examination is being positioned as a major step toward strengthening children’s right to education and development in Nigeria.
Following the initial announcement, education authorities say the reforms are designed to tackle the growing number of children who fail to progress beyond primary school, a gap that continues to limit learning outcomes and future opportunities for millions.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the LIN system will assign every child a unique number from primary school, allowing authorities to track academic progress and identify pupils who drop out of the system. The move is expected to enable early intervention and ensure that children remain in school throughout their educational journey.
Official data shows that while over 23 million pupils are enrolled in more than 50,000 public primary schools nationwide, only about 3 million transition to junior secondary school. This disparity has raised concerns among education stakeholders, who warn that millions of children are being left behind at a critical stage of their development.
As part of the reforms, the government also plans to replace the common entrance examination with Continuous Assessment (CA), which will evaluate pupils based on their performance over time. Experts say this approach could reduce barriers to progression and create a more inclusive system that supports the overall development of children.
In addition, the Federal Ministry of Education is working to revive the school feeding programme and has called on state governments to build more schools to improve access and retention.
While the reforms have been welcomed, stakeholders stress that effective implementation will be key. They note that proper monitoring, teacher training, and adequate funding will determine whether the initiatives can truly safeguard children’s right to education and ensure no child is left behind.
