Nigeria, July 1 -- The federal government has proposed ending the separation between Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) as part of efforts to improve school retention and reduce the high number of pupils dropping out before completing secondary education.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the proposal on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Abuja.

Mr Alausa stated that the proposal would be presented at the next meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE), the country's highest policy-making body on education.

Under Nigeria's current education system, pupils spend six years in ...