The need for graduates who would be productive citizens able to contribute significantly to
the Nigerian economy led to the overhaul of the old education system 6-5-4 and the
implementation of the 6-3-3-4 system, with its first set of graduates from secondary schools
in 1988. The main objective of the 6-3-3- 4 system was to produce self-reliant graduates with
better labor market skills and earning potential. In this paper, we investigate to what extent
this goal was achieved. Using a Regression Discontinuity (RD) design, we examine if
graduates from the 6-3-3-4 system experienced an improvement in welfare compared to
those from the old system. We measure welfare improvement using several indicators such
as a decline in poverty likelihood and poverty gap, an increase in the probability of
employment and an increase in wages. Our results provide some evidence that the new
system led to a decrease in the likelihood of being poor compared to those who passed
through the old system. We also provide evidence of higher wages for select participants. We
do not find any consistent evidence that the 6-3-3-4 system increased the probability of being
employed when we compare participants from both systems. Our results suggest that while
the system change may not have met some of its critical objectives, it cannot be viewed as
totally ineffective.