Senate approves amendments to senior secondary education law

The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill seeking to strengthen the administration, regulation and coordination of senior secondary education in Nigeria, with proposed amendments to the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Act, 2023.

The National Senior Secondary Education Commission Act Amendment Bill 2026 (SB 1075) was passed on Wednesday after the upper chamber considered and adopted the report of its Committee on Education, Basic and Secondary, before approving the legislation at third reading.

The Executive Bill seeks to amend the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Act No. 45, 2023, to strengthen the institutional framework for managing public senior secondary education and improve coordination in the sector.

The report was presented by Orji Kalu on behalf of the committee chairman, Usman Adamu, following an invitation by the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, to stand in for the chairman.

Presenting the report, Kalu recalled that the Senate had considered the bill on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and referred it to the committee for further legislative scrutiny.

He said the committee conducted a comprehensive examination of the proposed amendments, taking into account submissions, recommendations and opinions from relevant stakeholders.

According to him, the bill underwent a joint stakeholders’ hearing and clause-by-clause consideration, during which proposed amendments were reviewed and incorporated into the committee’s recommendations.

Kalu added that the amendments proposed by stakeholders were adopted by the committee and reflected in the report, which was jointly adopted by the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education Services.

Following the presentation of the report, senators raised no further observations, paving the way for the final legislative consideration of the bill.

The Senate subsequently resolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider the proposed amendments before proceeding to third reading.

Announcing its passage, Barau declared: “Third reading taken and passed.”

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, thereafter commended the Committee on Education, Basic and Secondary, for its handling of the legislation, describing its work as thorough.

“Let me commend the committee for a job well done. They have done their work in the best manner possible,” he said.

The passage of the amendment bill comes against the backdrop of longstanding efforts to improve the quality, administration and coordination of secondary education in Nigeria, particularly at the senior secondary level.

The National Senior Secondary Education Commission was established under the 2023 Act to provide an institutional framework for standards, quality assurance and coordination in senior secondary education across the country.

The commission is expected to work with relevant education authorities and stakeholders to promote uniform standards and address challenges affecting the delivery of senior secondary education.

The latest legislative intervention is intended to strengthen that framework and improve the commission’s capacity to discharge its responsibilities.

With its passage by the Senate, the bill will proceed to the next stage of the legislative process.