An Ogun State based youth group, Owu Youth Forum (OYF) on Friday, called for the rejection of the move by the federal government to replace the 6-3-3-4 system of education with a proposed 12-4 educational structure.
OYF specifically called on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration to prioritise curriculum reform, “technological advancement and real investment in young Nigerians” rather than celebrating any educational policy that seeks to compulsorily elongate students’ learning years “under a system that remains deeply flawed.”
The group made this known in a statement issued yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital and signed by its President, Olawale Peter Olajumoke.
Apparently reacting to a proposal seeking to migrate from the 6-3-3-4 system of education to 12 years of compulsory education by the minister of education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the OYF president, Olajumoke faulted the move, describing it as “flawed and a misplaced priority.”
“It is not only misguided but reflects a pattern of habitual, surface-level changes that fail to address the root problems plaguing the country’s educational sector,” he said.
He asserted that his group’s rejection of the minister’s proposal was not just a call to action, but, “a demand for justice in education.
“How can you extend a system that is already failing? A lengthened period of compulsory basic education will not miraculously produce better students or graduates if the curricula remain outdated and disconnected from global competitiveness. The real issue is not how long students stay in school but what they are being taught and how they are being prepared for the future.
“Nigerian universities churn out thousands of research projects annually, yet, a negligible percentage are ever adopted for practical application. Why? Because the government has failed to foster a knowledge-driven society. A system that does not encourage a strong reading culture, critical thinking, or problem-solving cannot be fixed simply by adding more years to basic education.
“The 6-3-3-4system already provides early skill acquisition. The argument that the new 12-4system will better equip students for life before tertiary education is misleading. The existing 6-3-3-4 structure already provides an opportunity for young people to learn a trade or skill before university where there are limited sponsorships. The problem is not the structure but the lack of implementation and support.”
