The Ministry has clarified that its newly announced policy on tertiary institution admissions is not a removal of mandatory subjects, but rather a streamlining of admission guidelines to introduce greater flexibility for applicants. While earlier announcements suggested that students seeking arts and humanities programmes might no longer need credit passes in subjects such as Mathematics, the Ministry emphasised that the core requirement of registering and sitting for both English Language and Mathematics at the O-Level remains intact.
In a statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs Folasade Boriowo, the Ministry reaffirmed that all students must continue to register for and take the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) in English Language and Mathematics. The change instead affects what tertiary institutions may ask for in terms of credit passes in these subjects for specific programmes. For example, under the revised guidelines, credit in Mathematics may now only be required for science, technology and social science courses, whereas arts and humanities programmes might admit students without that specific credit.
Education stakeholders say the motive behind the reform is to broaden access and reduce the number of capable students who are blocked from entering higher education simply due to not having credits in subjects that are not directly relevant to their chosen field. The Ministry stressed that this approach aims to promote inclusivity and human capital development while preserving foundational learning standards with English and Mathematics being described as “vital tools for communication, reasoning and lifelong learning.”
