By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce a Learner Identification Number (LIN) for children beginning at the primary school level, aiming to effectively track their academic progress throughout their educational journey.
The initiative is part of broader reforms by the Federal Ministry of Education designed to improve sector-wide data management and increase transition rates from basic education to senior secondary school.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, revealed the plan on Saturday during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos. He highlighted the stark disparity in enrollment figures, noting that while Nigeria has over 50,000 public primary schools with more than 23 million pupils, fewer than 3 million transition to public junior secondary schools.
“The question is, where are the remaining 20 million? It is obvious that private schools alone cannot accommodate them all,” Alausa stated. “The issue is simply lack of access. We are working on this by advocating for more infrastructure. I have engaged the Nigerian Governors’ Forum because state governments need to build more schools to accommodate our children.”
The Minister explained that the new Learner Identification Number will serve as a unique identifier for each child, following them regardless of school transfers or location. “If a child is expected to be in JSS 1 and is not there, we will be able to identify why and take action,” he added.
In a related development, Dr. Alausa disclosed that the Federal Government will soon phase out the common entrance examination for pupils transitioning from primary to junior secondary school. It will be replaced with a Continuous Assessment (CA) system that tracks performance from Primary 1 and remains with the pupil even if they transfer schools.
The Minister also confirmed ongoing efforts to revive the national school feeding programme. He noted that the programme will be transferred from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure proper oversight and enhance its effectiveness in boosting school enrollment.
