A prominent digital and human rights activist, Muhammed Bello Buhari has criticised the Nigerian government’s newly announced ban on the admission and transfer of students into Senior Secondary School Three (SS3), warning that the policy overlooks the realities of insecurity and displacement in Northern Nigeria.
The Federal Government recently announced a nationwide ban on the admission and transfer of students into SS3 in both public and private secondary schools across the country.
The directive was issued by the Federal Ministry of Education in a press release dated December 14, 2025, and signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
According to the ministry, the decision followed “growing concerns over the increasing incidence of examination malpractice, including the use of so called special centres during external examinations.” It stated that the policy would take effect from the 2026/2027 academic session, adding that “admission or transfer into SS3 will no longer be permitted under any circumstance.”
Reacting to the announcement, Buhari expressed concern in a post shared on his Facebook page on Sunday, arguing that the policy would unfairly affect children whose education has been disrupted by banditry, terrorism and forced migration in the North.
He said many families in the region relocate not to seek academic advantage, but to escape violent attacks that have destroyed communities and schools, an issue he said was ignored in the policy design.
“In the North, most of the people are not moving because they are chasing special centres,” Buhari wrote. “They are moving because their villages have been attacked. Because bandits came at night. Because terrorists burnt schools.”
He explained that displacement has become a normal part of life in several states, including Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Borno, Yobe, Plateau and Benue, forcing parents to move with their children, often in the middle of an academic session.
Buhari questioned how the policy would affect students who have completed SS2 but are forced to enroll in new schools due to insecurity, as well as those already in SS3 whose families are compelled to relocate.
“Now imagine an SS2 student in an IDP camp who finally gets a chance to enroll in a new school,” he said. “According to this policy, if that child advances to SS3 in a different school, it becomes illegal.”
He argued that the ban would not address examination malpractice, noting that cheating is driven by systemic issues such as weak supervision, poor teaching conditions and pressure to pass examinations, rather than student transfers.
“Stopping SS3 transfers will not stop cheating,” Buhari stated. “It will only stop vulnerable students from continuing their education.”
The activist also warned that the policy could worsen the already high number of out-of-school children in Northern Nigeria, where access to education is challenged by poverty, insecurity and displacement.
He called on the Federal Government to review the directive and introduce exemptions for displaced students and conflict-affected communities, stressing that education policies must reflect the realities of Nigerians.
“If this policy goes ahead without exemptions,” Buhari said, “it will only deepen exclusion and inequality and once again, the North willpay the highest price.”
