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The Federal Government has made clarifications on its earlier position on waving Mathematics for students in arts and humanity.
It has now declared that Mathematics remains a compulsory subject for all students sitting for O-Level examinations, despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise.
The government ,however, clarified that some courses in the university may not require Maths or English for admission.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by Boriowo Folashade, spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Education, who clarified that all students regardless of their field of study must continue to register and sit for both English Language and Mathematics during their O-Level exams.
The clarification follows public backlash over an earlier announcement made by Boriowo on Tuesday, which stated that senior secondary students in the arts and humanities would no longer be required to obtain a credit in Mathematics in their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) as a condition for admission into tertiary institutions.
That announcement, which was framed as part of a new admission reform to expand access to higher education, had stirred controversy among educationists, who warned that exempting students from Mathematics could lower academic standards and encourage complacency.
In the new statement, however, the Ministry stressed that the reform only affects admission criteria for some tertiary programmes not the compulsory requirement for students to register and sit for Mathematics and English Language during their O-Level examinations.
“All students must continue to register and sit for English Language and Mathematics in their O-Level examinations,” the statement read.
Boriowo explained that while some programmes may no longer require a credit pass in either English or Mathematics for admission, candidates are still mandated to take both subjects.
“This adjustment affects only admission criteria, not the requirement to take these subjects,” she clarified.
Reacting to questions on whether the new statement represents a policy reversal, Boriowo insisted it was merely a clarification, not a contradiction.
Mathematics: Nigerian govt make clarifications, say students must sit for subject during O’level
