Flagship Schools
The Ogun State Flagship Schools initiative is a deliberate strategy to create and sustain islands of excellence within the public school system. The flagship network consists of 86 schools—41 Junior Secondary Schools, 41 Senior Secondary Schools, and 4 combined flagship schools. These schools are distributed across the state to ensure geographic balance and to serve as reference points for quality.
The flagship model is built on a junior–senior pairing system. Each junior flagship school provides a structured pathway into a corresponding senior flagship school, ensuring continuity and a strong progression route for high-performing learners. This allows the Ministry to concentrate investments in infrastructure, teacher deployment, digital tools, and leadership development around clearly defined centres of excellence, without abandoning the broader system.
Flagship Schools operate under enhanced governance standards. Admissions are centrally coordinated through a state-wide screening examination, with school-specific cut-off marks published openly. Class sizes are regulated and transfer-based admissions into entry classes are tightly controlled to safeguard fairness and prevent back-door entry. Principals and management teams are regularly engaged through policy meetings, training and performance reviews and are expected to exemplify best practices in school management.
The revitalisation of flagship schools is being pursued through a combination of direct government investment and strategic partnerships. Infrastructure upgrades, laboratory improvements, smart-classroom deployments and robotics/ICT centres are being prioritised in these schools. At the same time, alumni associations, corporate partners and diaspora groups are encouraged to adopt schools and support improvements such as fencing, solar power, security installations and specialised facilities. Over successive cohorts, the impact of these investments is expected to be reflected in external examination outcomes, transition rates and the broader reputation of public schooling in Ogun State.
Key Achievements
Designated 41 junior, 41 senior secondary schools and 4 combined flagship schools as Flagship Schools to serve as hubs of excellence and demonstration centres for the wider system.
Designated 42 junior and 42 senior secondary schools as Flagship Schools to serve as hubs of excellence and demonstration centres for the wider system.
Introduced class-size caps and restricted transfer-based admissions into entry classes, with clear consequences for non-compliant school leaders.
Used flagship schools as the first phase in a broader programme to decongest overcrowded schools and to upgrade learning environments in a targeted manner.
Expanded collaboration with old students and corporate bodies to co-finance and execute infrastructure projects, security enhancements, and technology upgrades in selected flagship schools.
Prioritised flagship schools for deployment of trained STEM/digital teachers, smart classrooms, and ICT/robotics centres, with the first fully revitalised cohorts expected to demonstrate improved learning outcomes over the coming examination cycles.
Creation and Evolution of Flagship Schools: Our Timeline
Ogun State’s flagship school initiative has been deliberately phased to improve quality, decongest classrooms, strengthen leadership and leverage alumni support. The journey from the first set of 42 flagship schools to a growing network of 86 (including junior, senior and combined schools) can be traced through the milestones below.
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Selection of 41 Flagship Schools
- The State Government formally designated 42 flagship schools as model junior secondary schools to pilot a new standard of public education.
- The core objectives were to decongest overpopulated schools, enforce smaller class sizes, strengthen school leadership and use these schools as laboratories for best practice in teaching, administration and discipline.
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First JSS 1 Flagship Cohort
- The first set of flagship students were admitted into JSS 1 in the 2021/22 academic session through a central, merit-based screening exercise.
- New class size of 60 learners was introduced, aiming for about 40 learners per class to improve teacher–pupil interaction and classroom management.
- The Ministry recruited more experienced principals and redeployed strong administrators to lead the flagship schools, with clear performance expectations.
- Additional teachers were recruited and deployed “as many as possible” within fiscal constraints to stabilise staffing and minimise reliance on non-specialist teaching.
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Consolidation of Academic and Administrative Standards
- The second intake followed the same centralised, merit-based process, strengthening public confidence in the fairness and transparency of flagship admissions.
- Leadership teams focused on embedding the new culture: better lesson planning, stricter discipline, closer monitoring of learner progress and stronger engagement with parents and communities.
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Junior Secondary School Completion
- The first set of junior flagship school students successfully completed the first full 3-year junior secondary education cycle.
- Ogun State recorded enhanced student performance and experience, as well as improved education administration and quality of instruction.
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Launch of Flagship Senior Schools and Expansion to 86
- In the 2024/25 academic session, the first flagship cohort transitioned from JSS 3 into SS 1, marking the formal start of flagship senior secondary schools.
- With this expansion, the flagship network grew to 86 schools (junior, senior and combined), including four combined junior–senior schools that operate both levels on the same flagship platform.
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Expected WAEC Breakthrough for the First Flagship Cohort
- The pioneer flagship cohort, which entered JSS 1 in 2021/22 and SS 1 in 2024/25, is expected to sit for its first full WAEC (SSCE) in the 2026/27 examination cycle.
- The Ministry anticipates that their performance will significantly outperform pre-flagship baselines.