Learners Identification Number: How dis new LIN policy go work?

Di Nigeria Minister of Education ova di weekend announce say di govment go introduce one new policy to help dem track young students for di kontri in oda to reduce how pupils dey drop out from school.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, tok dis one as e dey address tori pipo for Lagos on Saturday, as e say di current administration dey determined to bring down di number of out-of-school-children for Nigeria.

Alausa give example say di numba of primary school children wey dey for di more dan 50,000 public schools for Nigeria now, pass 23 million, but according to dia. figures, "only a little ova 3 million among dis pupils dey move to di junior secondary school level for our public schools".

E say dis new LIN policy go help govment to track di remaining 20 million children wey no dey enrolled for di public secondary schools, bicos e dey clear say no be all of dem enroll for private secondary schools.

So, how dis policy go work?

Wetin we know so far

According to Alausa, evri child for primary school go dey assigned dis Learner Identification Number (LIN) and e go be unique numba to dat pupil.

Even wen dat child transfer to anoda school within or outside di state wia e first start primary school, dat numba go remain wit am.

Dis go help di education authorities for di kontri to monitor students progress and know when anyone of dem drop out comot for school.

"If somebody dey expected to be for Junior Secondary School (JSS) class one and e no dey dia, we go fit know di reason why e no continue im education," Alausa tok.

BBC News Pidgin reach out to di tok-tok pesin for di Ministry of Education Folasade Boriowo for more clarification, and she tok say for now di ministry dey carry out special training for dia staff and teachers all ova di kontri make dem ready for di new policy.

"We wan make evri teacher dey carried along dat na why we dey train dem, and Immediately we conclude dis training we go launch di policy nationaly," Madam Boriowo tell our tori pesin.

She also tok say dis LIN go be for evri primary school pupil for Nigeria weda for public schools or private schools.

Wetin neva dey clear now na weda pupils go dey use dia LIN even wen dem enta secondary school and also for dia university education.

Also, about di report wey some local news houses bin write say di Ministry of Education go scrap di National Common Entrance examination wey pupils for primary six suppose take bifor dem go enta junior secondary, Boriowo tok say dat one neva hapun for now.

States don already dey use LIN

Checks by BBC News Pidgin show say di Learners Identification Number (LIN) policy no be entirely new initiative for nigeria education sector.

Some states don already implement am and dey use am to monitor di development of children for di basic education level.

In 2024, di Ogun State government bin launch one policy wey dem call di Ogun State Education Revitalisation Agenda (Ogsera) wey dem later rename Digital Platform for Education Revitalisation (DiPER), and unda dis policy, evri school and students get LIN wey govment dey take monitor development and implement basic education programmes.

Also, for January dis year, di Abia State govment announce say dem go introduce di Abia State Learner Identification Number (ABSLIN) as part of dia new Education Management Information System (EMIS).

According to di State Ministry of Education, di LIN go be for evri primary school pupil weda for public or private and e go be one unique numba until di child graduate from Secondary school.

Hia na importance of di LIN for pupils according to statement from di Abia State education ministry: