• Mathematics no longer compulsory for Arts and Humanities Students
The federal government has approved a comprehensive reform of admission entry requirements into all tertiary institutions across the country, which would see the average yearly admission into tertiary institutions increase from 700,000 to one million.
Particularly, it said the reform sought to expand access to tertiary education and create opportunities for an additional 250,000 to 300,000 admissions yearly.
The Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, revealed this in a statement issued yesterday. According to her, the policy, driven by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, represents a bold step in advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda and promoting inclusive education for national development.
She quoted the minister as explaining that the reform had become necessary after years of restricted access that left many qualified candidates unable to secure admission.
According to the statement, the revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions are designed to remove barriers while maintaining academic standards.
It pointed out that the new framework applies to universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and Innovation Enterprise Academies (IEAs) across the country as follows:
Universities require a minimum of five credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language, obtained in not more than two sittings. Mathematics is mandatory for Science, Technology, and Social Science courses.
Polytechnics (ND Level) require a minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language for non-science courses and Mathematics for science-related programmes; while polytechnics (HND Level) require a minimum of five of credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Colleges of Education (NCE Level) require a minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects, with English Language mandatory for Arts and Social Science courses, and Mathematics required for science, vocational, and technical programmes.
The statement added: “In addition, the National Industrial Diploma (NID) previously issued by Innovation Enterprise Academies will be phased out and replaced with the National Diploma (ND) to ensure uniformity, credibility, and progression opportunities for graduates. The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) is currently re-accrediting all IEAs nationwide to align with the new ND standards. Institutions that fail to transition to full accreditation will be de-accredited.”
ALSO, the Federal Government has announced that mathematics will no longer be a mandatory subject for students applying to tertiary institutions to pursue courses in the Arts and Humanities.
Particularly, the government declared that the new policy would affect admission requirements for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and Innovation Enterprise Institutions nationwide.
Similarly, the guidelines specify that for admission into Colleges of Education, English Language will be mandatory for Arts and Social Science courses, while Mathematics is required for Science, Vocational, and Technical programmes.
