Rethinking subject choices in Nigerian secondary schools

By Timothy Nubi

Nigeria’s education system must balance academic specialisation with students’ freedom to explore different fields. As the country reconsiders how subjects are categorised in secondary schools, the central question is whether current arrangements expand opportunities or inadvertently narrow them.

This question deserves consideration by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), education authorities, universities, schools, parents and other stakeholders. It is not an accusation that existing arrangements are wrong or a call to abandon academic standards. Rather, it is an invitation to examine whether subject categorisation unnecessarily restricts students’ choices.

Education should help young people discover their abilities, pursue their interests and adapt to a changing world. Structure and specialisation are necessary, but they should not become barriers to exploration at a stage when many students are still considering possible career paths.

My concern is informed partly by my own educational journey. At secondary school, my O’Level subjects included English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Agricultural Science, Fine Art, Economics, Geography and Yoruba. This combination exposed me to languages, science, agriculture, the arts, economics and environmental studies.

I later studied town planning and estate management before pursuing postgraduate studies in construction management. My professional career has required knowledge of economics, finance, law, architecture, construction, environmental management, valuation, planning and public policy.

My secondary education did not confine me to a single professional destination. It provided a broad foundation from which my interests and career choices developed. Although educational requirements have changed, this experience illustrates the value of preserving options and exposing students to possibilities they might not otherwise consider.

The key question is whether current subject categories allow students to combine appropriate subjects across the sciences, arts, social sciences and environmental fields, or whether they impose limitations requiring clarification. WAEC should explain the policy, its rationale and its practical implications.

Knowledge does not exist in silos.

The world young people are entering is increasingly interdisciplinary. Climate change, housing, public health, food security, urban congestion, infrastructure and technological transformation cannot be addressed adequately through one discipline alone.

An environmental professional may need scientific knowledge, economic reasoning, legal understanding and public-policy awareness. An entrepreneur may require mathematics, communication, technology and an understanding of human behaviour. A property professional may combine finance, construction, land law, valuation, planning and sustainability. Breadth and specialisation should, therefore, complement each other. Students need sufficient depth for further study and professional competence, but they also need opportunities to recognise connections between fields and develop intellectual flexibility.

In the built environment, decisions about housing and urban development require more than architecture, engineering or valuation. They also involve finance, law, construction, planning, environmental sustainability, governance and public policy.

Research management similarly encompasses funding, partnerships, intellectual property, commercialisation and governance. The ability to connect fields is, therefore, essential to leadership, innovation and responding to complex problems.

There is a difference between guiding students towards suitable academic pathways and narrowing their options before they have discovered their abilities.

Some students may be drawn to both Biology and Fine Art; others may wish to combine Mathematics, Economics and Geography. Such choices may reflect different dimensions of their abilities rather than indecision.

Educational choice cannot be entirely unrestricted. University programmes have specific admission requirements, and students need the foundational knowledge required for further study. The objective should, therefore, be informed flexibility, not unlimited choice.

The arrangements should enable students to select subjects according to their interests, abilities and aspirations, subject to appropriate academic requirements, without unnecessarily limiting access to future programmes.

Housing and sustainable urban development illustrate the value of multidisciplinary knowledge. I have seen how housing challenges intersect with affordability, land administration, finance, infrastructure, environmental protection, social inclusion, governance and economic development.

Addressing such challenges requires people who can connect scientific knowledge with economic reasoning, social realities, environmental concerns and ethical judgment. The foundations for these capabilities begin before university.

WAEC should explain the objectives of its subject categories, clarify the extent to which students may combine subjects and consult stakeholders on whether the arrangements meet contemporary educational needs. Students, parents, teachers and school administrators need clear guidance on how the categories should be interpreted. Where restrictions apply, WAEC should explain their reasons.

It should also clarify the practical implications for school timetables, teacher allocation and examination schedules, since combinations permitted in principle must be realistically accessible.

The council should engage universities, professional bodies, school administrators, teachers, parents and students. Such consultations could help determine whether the arrangements reflect university admission requirements and the interdisciplinary demands of modern education and employment.

These proposals do not presume that the existing policy is defective. They recognise that educational arrangements should remain open to scrutiny, clarification and improvement.

The relationship between secondary-school subject choices and university admission deserves attention. Estate Management is an interdisciplinary profession involving economics, mathematics, finance, law, valuation, construction, land administration, planning and environmental management.

Students may discover an interest in it through different academic routes, and a broad secondary-school foundation can help them appreciate these connections.

I have observed a decline in admissions into estate management this year. The reasons are not yet established, and it would be premature to attribute the trend to any particular subject policy or admission arrangement. Nevertheless, the observation reinforces the need to examine the relationship between subject choices, university requirements and students’ decisions about what to study.

If subject categorisation creates unintended barriers, evidence should identify them and guide appropriate responses. If the causes lie elsewhere, they should be investigated with equal seriousness. Students should have clear information about the subjects required for intended university programmes, while secondary-school arrangements should preserve reasonable flexibility wherever academic requirements permit.

Nigeria needs an education system that combines discipline with informed choice, specialisation with breadth and strong foundations with intellectual curiosity. This requires closer alignment between secondary and higher education, constructive engagement among institutions and evaluation based on actual effects on learning, access, progression and relevant competencies.

Schools should help students understand the relationships between science, technology, the arts, economics, the environment and society. Universities should communicate admission requirements clearly, while examination bodies should support appropriate pathways into higher education.

My professional experience and educational journey have strengthened my belief that knowledge is interconnected and that broad foundations allow interests and careers to evolve. I, therefore, invite WAEC and other stakeholders to examine the current subject categorisation arrangements, explain how they operate and consider adjustments where evidence demonstrates a need.

This is not a call to condemn WAEC, eliminate structure or resist change. It is a call for collaboration to ensure that educational arrangements create opportunities rather than unnecessary barriers. Education is one of the most consequential investments a nation makes in its future. The choices we make about what children learn and the opportunities available to them will influence the professionals they become, the problems they solve and their contributions to society.

The future of Nigerian education must be built through dialogue, evidence, shared responsibility and a commitment to every Nigerian child’s potential.

Let us ensure that the organisation of knowledge expands possibilities rather than inadvertently restricting them.

Nubi is the founding director of the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development at the University of Lagos.