Oladotun Hassan, a Nigerian legal practitioner and president of the Yoruba Council Worldwide, has called for a significant overhaul of Nigeria’s education system. In a recent interview, he argued that the current duration for secondary and university education is unnecessarily long and should be reduced to make the system more efficient and responsive to students’ needs.
Key Points of the Proposal:
- Secondary School: Hassan suggests reducing secondary education from the current six years (three years each for Junior and Senior Secondary School) to five years. He proposes that students should be allowed to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in SS2 (Form 5), eliminating the need for SS3.
- University: He advocates for university degree programs to be capped at three years, regardless of the course of study. Students wishing to specialize further could then pursue professional certificates in their chosen fields.
Reasons for the Proposal:
- Hassan believes that spending less time in school would minimize students’ exposure to disruptions such as strikes and internal crises, particularly those caused by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
- He argues that a shorter academic timeline would enable students to engage more actively with the system and enter the workforce sooner.
Current System Context:
- Under Nigeria’s “6-3-3-4” system, students spend six years in primary school, six years in secondary school (split into three years of Junior Secondary and three years of Senior Secondary), and a minimum of four years in university for most degree programs.
- Hassan’s proposal would mark a return to pre-1982 practices, when secondary school lasted five years.
Hassan’s proposal is aimed at reducing the time spent in formal education, which he believes will help students avoid overstaying in the system and reduce the impact of institutional crises. He has called on stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, to consider and implement these changes for a more streamlined and effective educational process in Nigeria.
