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The Federal Government recently announced that Mathematics would no longer be a compulsory subject for students seeking admission into tertiary institutions to study Arts and Humanities programmes. The new directive, which attracted criticisms, was contained in the revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. According to the spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, the review of the admission policy will provide opportunities to over 300,000 to gain admission annually.
Under the admission policy, students seeking admission to study Arts and Humanities programmes are required to have credits in relevant subjects, including English language. However, Mathematics remains compulsory for Science, Technology and Social Science disciplines. Candidates for polytechnics should obtain a minimum of four credit passes, including English language for non-science courses and Mathematics for science-based programmes. Similarly, Mathematics and English remain compulsory for candidates at the Higher National Diploma (HND) level. For Colleges of Education, English language is compulsory for Arts and Social Science courses, while Mathematics is compulsory for Science, Vocational and Technical programmes.
Currently, out of about two million candidates that applied for admission, only 700,000 got it. The new policy said to be championed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, is not radically different from what obtained in the past before credit in Mathematics was made compulsory for all candidates seeking university admission some decades ago. In the 70s and 80s, credit in Mathematics was for Science, Technology and Social Science disciplines, while credit in English was for Arts and Humanities programmes. However, this does not mean that Arts students will not study Mathematics in secondary school.
Following the condemnation and confusion that trailed the new admission policy, the Minister of Education later clarified that the study of Mathematics is still compulsory in secondary school but it is not a requirement to gain admission to study Arts and Humanities-related courses in universities and other tertiary institutions.
He further explained that the purpose of the revised guideline is to remove barriers, democratise access to tertiary education and empower Nigerian youths. The new admission policy by the federal government is pragmatic and commendable, considering that for some years now, many candidates seeking admission to study Arts and Humanities-related courses have been denied admission to further their studies because they did not have credit in Mathematics in their O-level certificate examinations.
The previous requirement to pass Mathematics for everyone seeking admission to tertiary institutions was informed by the idea that every undergraduate needs numerate literacy for higher studies. But since Mathematics is taught from nursery schools up to secondary schools, the candidates would have acquired enough numerate knowledge to aid them to further their studies in tertiary institutions in liberal arts education programmes. The decision that every student must have credit in Mathematics to study Arts and Humanities-related courses in tertiary institutions has frustrated many candidates and denied them admission opportunities.
As a result of this, many of the candidates become desperate and indulge in examination malpractices in their bid to pass the subject. Sometimes, candidates who are poor in Mathematics score an excellent grade in the subject through fraudulent practices. The new policy will definitely reduce examination malpractices. It is good that the new admission policy will enable more candidates to gain admission into tertiary institutions, thus removing the obstacles which have prevented them from pursuing their academic dreams.
Although Mathematics remains an important component of the school curriculum across primary and secondary schools, its removal as a compulsory requirement for tertiary admission for Arts and Humanities programmes is timely and commendable. It demonstrates the government’s commitment to liberalising tertiary education and create more opportunities for more candidates to achieve their educational dreams.
Nevertheless, the federal government must also enlighten the public, especially the students, that the study of Mathematics is still compulsory in secondary schools and for WAEC, NECO and other relevant examinations. However, there is nothing wrong if an arts student gets credit or pass in Mathematics. Apart from admission purposes, a pass in Mathematics can be useful in other areas of life such as business, entrepreneurship and industry. Beyond the admission policy review, the government should train and retrain Mathematics teachers across the country. We say this because many students, especially those studying Arts and Humanities, dread Mathematics, simply because the subject is badly taught in many Nigerian primary and secondary schools.
