Sept. 19, 2021

The Lagos State Ministry of Education has debunked a social media report alleging that the State Government will, from next academic session, enforce the entry age of 12 years for pupils seeking admission into Junior Secondary School (JSS1) in a bid to deter underage registration.

A statement signed by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, noted that the unsigned and undated document about the age limit for Junior Secondary School entrants had earlier been denounced in Y2020 when it was first circulated.

The Commissioner maintained that such statement was never issued by the State Government, stressing that what was wrongly published and circulated was not a policy statement, but an internal memorandum containing suggestions and a summary of discussions that was drafted after a consultative meeting.

She explained that the said meeting was held with relevant stakeholders in the Education Sector in Y2020 on how to implement the National Policy on Education in the State, which was clearly stated in a press release issued by the Ministry in April, 2020.

Describing the perpetrators of the social media report as saboteurs, Mrs. Adefisayo urged the general public to ignore the viral statement and rest assured that the Ministry will always involve stakeholders in policy decisions and implementation.