Mathematics, English Remain Compulsory For O’Level Students – FG Clarifies
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that in a move to clarify the misunderstanding surrounding the new admission requirements earlier introduced, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, has clarified that Mathematics and English are compulsory subjects for all students taking the O-Level examinations.
OTN News further reports that the spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folashade, made this clarification in a press statement released on Sunday.
OTN News recalls that last Tuesday, Boriowo announced a reform that would no longer mandate senior secondary school students in the arts and humanities to have a credit pass in Mathematics in their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) to gain admission into tertiary institutions.
OTN News further recalls that at the time, Boriowo also stated that the reform was essential because “years of restricted access” had “denied many qualified candidates admission opportunities,” noting that only about 700,000 candidates gain admission annually despite over two million sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
However, this new policy had since shifted generated controversy, with some educationists arguing that it would “further encourage laziness among students and negatively impact their academic excellence and performance.”
Reacting to the controversies in the new statement, Boriowo clarified that while the admission guidelines have been streamlined, the change does not exempt any candidate from registering for and sitting the examination.
He explained that institutions now have the flexibility to admit candidates into specific programmes where credit passes in English or Mathematics are not mandatory, but candidates are still required to take both subjects during their O-Level exams.
Furthermore, the Ministry noted that the reform aligns with the Federal Government’s goal of “equitable access, inclusivity, and human capital development,” stating that “English and Mathematics remain vital tools for communication, reasoning, and lifelong learning.”
When asked if the new communication represented a U-turn on the Ministry’s earlier position, Boriowo responded by saying, ‘No, no U-turn — it’s a clarification on the streamlined admission requirements to expand access to tertiary education, please.”
The Ministry, however, urged all stakeholders to rely only on official communication channels for verified policy updates.
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