JSS1 New National Curriculum 2026/2027: Subjects, Trades, PDF Downloads & Release Status

JSS1 is the point where Nigeria’s revised curriculum begins to look deliberately different from the familiar “academic subjects only” model. English and Mathematics remain central, but the approved offering also makes room for Intermediate Science, Digital Technologies, Business Studies, Nigerian History, citizenship and practical trade learning.

For schools, though, the content change has been only half the challenge. The other half has been timing. The curriculum was officially scheduled for phased implementation from September 2025, but the revised files did not arrive as one complete package. our tracking found that the JSS1 Phase 1 page became substantially more useful in early 2026, but the release was not complete at once. We saw missing subject files continue to appear through April–June 2026, and the publication process is still active.

Quick download: open the JSS1 New National Curriculum download page.

What is JSS1 supposed to prepare a learner for?

NERDC’s Basic Education implementation strategy says junior-secondary learning should build subject knowledge and competence for progression to Senior Secondary School, but it also names technological, vocational and entrepreneurship practice, social values, citizenship, and talent discovery.

That is why the JSS1 programme should not be reduced to “more difficult Primary 6.” It is a transition stage where learners begin to encounter more specialised knowledge while also developing practical and digital capability.

Approved JSS1 subject offering

• English Studies
• Mathematics
• One Nigerian Language
• Intermediate Science
• Physical & Health Education
• Digital Technologies
• Christian Religious Studies for Christian pupils or Islamic Studies for Muslim pupils
• Nigerian History
• Social and Citizenship Studies
• Cultural & Creative Arts
• One Trade Subject
• Business Studies
• French — optional
• Arabic Language — optional

The approved range is a minimum of 12 subjects and a maximum of 13 or 14, depending on optional choices.

The trade-subject rule is often misunderstood

The approved subject notice says a student chooses one trade subject. The implementation strategy adds another useful detail from the school’s perspective: schools may select a minimum of one and maximum of three trade subjects to offer, based on resources, qualified teachers and local economic relevance.

Those are not contradictory statements. A school may be equipped to offer, for example, Solar PV and Fashion Design, while an individual learner takes one of them.

The six approved trade areas are:

• Solar Photovoltaic Installation and Maintenance
• Fashion Design and Garment Making
• Livestock Farming
• Beauty and Cosmetology
• Computer Hardware and GSM Repairs
• Horticulture and Crop Production

A trade subject is not just another theory period

NERDC’s strategy tells schools to consider basic teaching resources, availability of qualified teachers and local needs before selecting trades. This is important. A school should not put “Solar PV” on a timetable if the entire course will be copied from the board without components, safety instruction or practical exposure.

The same principle applies to Computer Hardware, Horticulture, Livestock, Fashion and Beauty & Cosmetology. Practical subjects need practical conditions.

Where Digital Technologies fits into the bigger curriculum change

The revised curriculum’s competency framework explicitly includes ICT and digital competencies, information literacy, critical thinking, research and problem-solving, communication and collaboration. Digital Technologies therefore has a wider purpose than learning the names of computer parts. It should help learners understand, use and think responsibly about technology.

Language subjects: approved does not yet mean fully released

NERDC’s approved JSS offering includes one Nigerian Language, optional French and optional Arabic. But the new-curriculum language-document release has lagged behind many of the core subjects. our August 2026 tracking therefore treats these as two separate statuses:

• Approved offering: the subject is part of the official national structure.
• Released revised file: the final/current revised curriculum PDF can actually be obtained from the new release portal.

Schools should verify the second point before replacing existing language plans. A subject appearing in an approved list—or an older NERDC curriculum library—is not the same as a newly released revised JSS1 document for this rollout.

Why JSS2 should not simply be switched because a website says “new curriculum”

The official Basic Education strategy says the revised curriculum begins with JSS1 and progresses yearly to the next class levels. Its reason is continuity: JSS2 is expected to build on the knowledge and skills developed in JSS1.

That does not mean a JSS2 document page can never exist before the cohort arrives there. In fact, NERDC’s current curriculum portal lists JSS2 and JSS3 class pages. What matters for school implementation is the phased cohort strategy, the actual availability of the subject files, and any current official direction—not merely the existence of a web page.

Download the JSS1 curriculum files currently released

👉 Go to the JSS1 New National Curriculum download page

We use the class-level page as a living download centre. If a revised subject file is not yet available, the correct response is to keep monitoring the official release—not to relabel an older curriculum and pretend the gap does not exist.

JSS1 Scheme of Work: move from the national framework to weekly teaching

For classroom implementation, use our JSS1 Scheme of Work 2026 hub. It links to the subject schemes our currently have available, including the six trade areas and the major core subjects in our release.

JSS1 curriculum FAQ

Did JSS1 officially begin in September 2025?

That was the announced phased implementation target. In practice, many schools did not have the usable revised documents at that point. The 2026/2027 session is therefore a much more practical implementation point for schools that waited for the actual curriculum files.

Does every JSS1 student take three trades?

No. The school may select trades it can properly support; the approved offering says a student chooses one trade subject.

Where should schools verify current releases?

Use the NERDC New Revised Basic Education Curriculum portal. For the approved subject list see our subject-structure guide, and for the rollout timeline see the 2026/2027 implementation article.