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By Sunday Ani
The sudden directive restricting students of the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, Lagos, to only one trade subject, has become a big source of concern for parents and students as well as education stakeholders.
The authorities of the school recently announced the restriction of students to only Catering Craft Practice for the forthcoming May/June 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
This development is causing tension and anxiety among parents who lament the development was capable of putting their children’s dreams at stake.
At a parents/school authorities’ meeting on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, at the school’s Multi-Purpose Hall, parents were informed that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) had instructed that Catering Craft Practice would be the only WAEC-approved trade subject available for registration by the current SS3 students.
The announcement, which came barely six months to the commencement of the WASSCE, has left many parents distraught and students confused.
Decrying the development, one of the visibly emotional parents, Mr. Ben Oleander had asked: “Our children have been studying their chosen trade subjects for nearly two years. How can they now be told to abandon everything and start learning a new subject just months before their exams?”
He expressed fear that the development was capable of causing mass failure as the students would be required to abandon the subjects they had been preparing for over two years and take on new subjects a few months to the WASSCE. “This amounts to policy summersault and it is not good at all. Our children will heavily bear the brunt of this policy, definitely,” he stated.
Sudden policy, heavy toll
Before this policy shift, FSTC Yaba offered over 20 WAEC-approved trade subjects, including Electrical Installation, Computer Craft, Painting and Decoration, Data Processing and Garment Making. These subjects formed the backbone of the college’s technical and vocational curriculum, equipping students with practical skills and industry-relevant knowledge.
However, according to the school authorities, the new directive, which reportedly emanated from higher educational authorities, is binding and must be implemented without exception.
Parents, however, see it differently. Many have described the move as unfair, ill-timed and educationally harmful.
“This decision is not only impractical but deeply demoralising. It disrupts two years of hard work, time and resources that our children have already invested,” another parent, Mr. Johnson Onukwube lamented.
For Mrs. Adeniyi Grace, there is no sense in the new policy. She expressed disappointment at the new directive, stressing that it will surely erode the main essence of the school.
She said: “Some of us sent our children to the school because of the curriculum, which has array of trade subjects among which a student’s could choose and acquire knowledge on.
“Some students apply the knowledge they acquire from some of the subjects like electrical installations, garment making, painting or even data processing to make a living even before they enter higher institution and even as undergraduates. And it helps their parents as they earn some money to augment what they are getting from their parents.
“But with this new directive, the students are seriously handicapped. Besides, the real essence of the school is lost as far as I am concerned. This is not good at all.”
Heart of the matter
Trade subjects, introduced by WAEC to strengthen vocational and technical education, are designed to expose students to diverse practical skills and career options. By limiting students to a single subject, Catering Craft Practice, analysts are of the view that the policy is undermining the very purpose of technical education.
“Not every child has an interest or aptitude in catering,” a teacher who preferred anonymity told Daily Sun. “We have students who excel in electrical work, ICT and design. Forcing all of them into catering makes no educational sense.”
The abrupt implementation has also raised concerns about inadequate preparation time, lack of instructional materials and the absence of trained teachers to deliver the new subject effectively.
Parents appeal for fairness
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, concerned parents have called on the Federal Ministry of Education and WAEC to suspend the policy for the ongoing academic session and allow current SS3 and SS2 students to complete their studies under the existing structure.
“We fully support educational reforms,” the letter read, “but such changes should be implemented gradually and strategically to avoid harming students already in advanced stages of their education.”
The parents also appealed for the Federal Science and Technical Colleges Board and the Department of Technology and Science Education to review the decision urgently, warning that the psychological and academic tolls on the affected students could be severe if the policy was not reversed.
Call for balance
Education observers say the controversy points to a deeper issue, which is the tension between reform and readiness. While efforts to standardise vocational education are commendable, experts warn that policies introduced without adequate transition plans could derail rather than strengthen learning outcomes.
“Reforms must consider timing, infrastructure and stakeholder consultation,” said an education analyst, Mr. Collins Dike. “Otherwise, they risk undermining the very goals they seek to achieve.”
Hope for intervention
As the clock ticks towards the 2026 WASSCE, parents remain hopeful that the Federal Government would act swiftly to safeguard the interests of the affected students.
“We trust in the Minister’s sense of fairness and commitment to quality education,” the parents’ letter concluded. “All we ask is for our children to be allowed to complete what they started.”
For now, hundreds of students at the FSTC Yaba face an uncertain academic future, as their dream hangs in the balance. If nothing is urgently done to reverse the directive, many of them are not able to realise their ambitions as they are already caught between policy and preparation.
