According to reporting by **The Punch**, the Federal Government has officially scrapped the National Common Entrance Examination for transition into Junior Secondary Schools. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced that the decades-old exam will be replaced by a Continuous Assessment (CA) model and a unique Learner Identification Number (LIN) to track pupils’ academic progression from primary level onward.
The policy shift addresses a massive “access gap” where only about 3 million out of 23 million public primary school pupils successfully transition to junior secondary education. The new LIN system is intended to provide a digital footprint for every student, ensuring they do not drop out of the formal system due to administrative hurdles or single-exam failures.
**Tribune** reported on the minister’s session where he queried, “Where are the about 20 million not enrolled in our public secondary schools?” while **Leadership** corroborated the policy, noting that the “Learner Identification Number will track pupils’ academic journey” across all state and federal institutions.
**Echotitbits take:** This is a radical departure from Nigeria’s traditional “do-or-die” examination culture. While it promises higher transition rates, the success of the LIN system will depend entirely on the digital infrastructure of rural schools and the integrity of teachers handling continuous assessments.
Source: The Punch – https://punchng.com/fg-to-scrap-common-entrance-track-students-journey-with-identification-number/, April 15, 2026
Photo credit: The Punch
