The Federal Government has developed a new National Policy on Senior Secondary Education to reposition senior schools in the country to global standard.

The Chairman of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Ambassador Nimota Akanbi made the disclosure at the end of a two-day retreat for members of the Governing Board in Abuja.

Ambassador Akanbi said the new Secondary policy on education was developed from the old national policy on education which had become obsolete in view of current realities.

The Commission would promote institutional partnership and collaborations with state governments, private sector, international development partners and donor organizations to improve funding of senior secondary schools in the country, he said.

Ambassador Akanbi also revealed that the Commission was developing a robust management information system that captures all relevant data relating to Senior Secondary Education in the country.

The Commission prescribes minimum standards as well as intervenes in critical areas of needs of senior secondary schools, she added.

The Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission, Professor Benjamin Abakpa said the Commission had conducted needs assessment to ascertain the challenges facing Senior Secondary Schools in the country.

According to him, “Teachers are the foundation of success in schools because the quality of learning depends on the quality of teachers.”

“We have conducted trainings for our teachers. We have received lots of cooperation from our states; many of the State expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for establishing the Commission because it is out to see how our students compete favourably wherever they find themselves.”

Professor Abakpa said reports so far gathered fromm individual states indicate that teacher-student ratio was “very high”, meaning that ” teachers are teaching more than the class capacity”.

“So, we are working towards how the State Government and private schools can key in, to ensure that we don’t overcrowd our classrooms because when you have an overcrowded classroom, there will be so many distractions that affect quality of learning,” he stated.

He then urged the national assembly to pass the Senior Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill, a move, he argued, would ensure the rapid development of the education sub sector.