The Federal Ministry of Education has announced that senior secondary school students in the arts and humanities will no longer be required to obtain a credit in Mathematics in their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) as a condition for admission into universities and polytechnics.
For years, admission seekers in the arts and humanities have been required, like their counterparts in the sciences and social sciences, to present five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, to qualify for admission into higher institutions.
According to the ministry, the new policy is part of the revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions, designed to remove unnecessary barriers while maintaining academic standards.
“The revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions are designed to remove barriers while maintaining academic standards,” the ministry stated.
The ministry added that the new framework will apply to universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and Innovation Enterprise Academies across the country.
“This is a brilliant reform, which we hope will open the doors and improve the ease of admissions into tertiary institutions for more seekers,” the statement read.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the reform as a deliberate effort to expand access to tertiary education.
In addition, the ministry approved a comprehensive overhaul of admission entry requirements into all tertiary institutions nationwide, with the goal of increasing the average annual intake from about 700,000 to one million students.
According to the government, the policy aims to expand access to higher education and create opportunities for an additional 250,000 to 300,000 admissions each year.
Dr. Alausa explained that the reform became necessary after years of limited access, which left many qualified candidates unable to secure admission despite meeting the required standards.
