The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce a Learner Identification Number (LIN) for pupils across Nigeria, a move aimed at improving student tracking and increasing progression rates from primary to secondary education.
The initiative, led by the Federal Ministry of Education Nigeria, will assign a unique identification number to every child starting from the primary school level. This number will follow each learner throughout their academic journey, regardless of school transfers.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, revealed that the policy is designed to address the alarming gap between primary school enrolment and transition to junior secondary school.
According to available data, Nigeria has over 50,000 public primary schools with more than 23 million pupils. However, only slightly above 3 million of these pupils proceed to junior secondary school within the public system, raising concerns about access, retention, and continuity in education.
The Minister noted that the government is working closely with state authorities to expand school infrastructure and improve access, stressing the need for more schools to accommodate the growing number of learners.
With the introduction of LIN, education authorities will be able to monitor each pupil’s academic progress and identify those who drop out or fail to transition to the next level. This, he explained, will help policymakers understand and address the root causes of school dropout across the country.
In a related development, the Federal Government also announced plans to phase out the common entrance examination for pupils transitioning from primary school to junior secondary school. The examination will be replaced with a Continuous Assessment (CA) system, which will evaluate pupils based on their academic performance over time rather than a single test.
The new system is expected to provide a more holistic assessment of learners and ensure that academic records move seamlessly with pupils when they transfer between schools.
Additionally, the Minister disclosed that efforts are underway to revive the national school feeding programme as part of strategies to boost enrolment and retention in public schools. The programme is expected to be moved under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education for improved monitoring and effectiveness.
Education stakeholders believe these reforms could significantly reshape Nigeria’s basic education system if properly implemented, particularly in improving access, accountability, and student progression nationwide
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