The Federal Government has announced that senior secondary school students in the Arts and Humanities will no longer be required to have a credit pass in Mathematics in their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) to qualify for admission into universities and polytechnics.
According to a report by Punch newspaper, confirmed on Tuesday by the Federal Ministry of Education, the policy change applies to examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
The ministry’s spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo, said the decision—approved by WAEC and NECO—was aimed at removing barriers to tertiary education while maintaining academic standards.
Under the revised framework, candidates in the Arts and Humanities are now required to have credit passes in English Language and other relevant subjects, while Mathematics remains compulsory only for Science, Technology, and Social Science programmes.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the reform is part of the government’s efforts to expand access to higher education and ensure that admission requirements reflect the specific needs of different academic disciplines.
“This is a deliberate effort to make tertiary education more inclusive and accessible without compromising quality,” Alausa said.
