According to the new law stated by the Lagos State Government, the age of entry for all prospective students into any secondary school, private or public, has been pegged on 12 years old and above.
This was made known in a circular released in March and signed by one Mrs A. A. Adebowale of the Ministry of Education, stating that a fine of N50,000 has been proposed for first offenders and N100,000 fine for second offenders as well as warning letters to close an erring school in case of any violation.
She said the new directive will be strictly enforced by agencies of education in the state
The circular reads in part: “Henceforth pupils entering JSS1 must be 12 years old. The implication is that they must leave primary school at 11 years. It would no longer be possible for pupils in primary four or five to jump to JSS1.”
”Before the implementation, we intend to meet with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) and key stakeholders to sensitise them on the policy. The breach is more from the private schools and we need to carry them along.”