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 pass in Mathematics in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) before gaining admission to Nigerian universities and polytechnics.
For years, admission seekers across all disciplines, sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities were mandated to secure at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, to qualify for admission into higher institutions.
According to a statement on Tuesday by the ministry’s spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo, the new policy is contained in the revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions, aimed at “removing barriers while maintaining academic standards.”
The new framework applies to universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and Innovation Enterprise Academies nationwide.
The statement outlined the revised minimum entry conditions as follows:
Universities: Minimum of five credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language, obtained in not more than two sittings. Mathematics is compulsory only for Science, Technology, and Social Science courses.
Polytechnics (ND Level): Minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects, with English Language compulsory for non-science courses and Mathematics compulsory for science-related programmes.
Polytechnics (HND Level): Minimum of five credit passes, including English Language and Mathematics.
Colleges of Education (NCE Level): Minimum of four credit passes in relevant subjects, with English compulsory for Arts and Social Science courses, and Mathematics required for Science, Vocational, and Technical programmes.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, explained that the reform was a deliberate move to expand access to tertiary education across the country.
