The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to introduce a Learner Identification Number (LIN) for pupils from the primary school level as part of efforts to track academic progress and improve transition rates across the education system.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos.
He explained that the LIN would be a unique number assigned to each pupil and would remain with them throughout their academic journey, regardless of school transfers.
According to the minister, the initiative is aimed at addressing the alarming gap between the number of pupils in primary schools and those who proceed to junior secondary school.
He noted that Nigeria has over 50,000 public primary schools with more than 23 million pupils, but only a little over 3 million proceed to junior secondary schools in public institutions, raising concerns about the whereabouts of millions of pupils who do not continue their education at that level.
Alausa said the Learner Identification Number would help authorities monitor pupils’ progression and identify those who drop out of school, making it easier to address issues such as access to education and infrastructure shortages.
He also revealed that the government plans to phase out the common entrance examination for pupils moving from primary school to junior secondary school.
The exam will be replaced with Continuous Assessment, which will track pupils’ academic performance from primary one.
The minister explained that the continuous assessment records would follow pupils even if they transfer to another school, ensuring a more consistent and comprehensive evaluation system.
He added that the government is also working to revive the school feeding programme to attract more pupils to public schools, noting that the programme may be moved from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to the Federal Ministry of Education for better monitoring and implementation.
The reforms, according to the ministry, are part of broader efforts to improve access to education, increase school completion rates, and strengthen Nigeria’s education system.
