The National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) has rolled out a set of National Minimum Standards for Secondary Education and is urging state governments across the country to begin full enforcement of the new requirements.
During a media interaction in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr Iyela Ajayi, said the move is aimed at reforming the nation’s senior secondary education system through stricter regulation, enhanced teacher development, wider digital learning access, and improved school facilities.
Ajayi explained that the standards define expectations for all aspects of secondary schooling—ranging from teacher qualifications and teacher-student ratios to building quality and the overall learning environment.
“The National Minimum Standards have to do with benchmarking requirements for all aspects of secondary education,” he said. “How many teachers do you have? What should be their qualification? What should be the teacher-student ratio? The type and quality of buildings you have—all these are clearly stated.”
He noted that the standards were launched in February and distributed nationwide, with states given 12 months to comply. “The law establishing this commission empowers us not only to produce the standards but also to enforce them. 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 added.
Ajayi highlighted the Commission’s current priorities, which include strengthening teacher training, improving recruitment and retention, expanding ICT adoption and digital learning, rehabilitating school infrastructure, enhancing technical and vocational education, and advancing inclusive education for girls and learners with disabilities.
He also pointed to ongoing curriculum reforms such as the reintroduction of History, efforts to reduce curriculum overload, and initiatives promoting hands-on, skill-based learning.
Despite funding challenges, Ajayi said NSSEC has successfully facilitated development projects in 50 senior secondary schools—one in each state—through constituency interventions. These projects include new classrooms, laboratories, and ICT centres. “We are not yet like UBEC,” he said, “but the little we have done is already changing the narrative.”
