The Federal Government has announced the removal of mathematics as a compulsory credit requirement for students seeking admission into arts and humanities programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The new directive, announced on Tuesday in Abuja by the Ministry of Education, is part of a broader reform aimed at expanding access to higher education and addressing longstanding admission bottlenecks.
According to the ministry’s spokesperson, Mrs. Folasade Boriowo, the decision is based on recommendations from a policy review conducted by the Federal Ministry of Education.
Quoting the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the statement noted that the rigid mathematics requirement had denied many otherwise qualified candidates the opportunity to pursue university degrees in non-science fields.
“Out of over two million candidates who sit for UTME annually, only around 700,000 secure admission. This reform seeks to reduce that gap by removing unnecessary barriers,” Alausa said.
Under the revised National Entry Guidelines, candidates applying for university courses in the arts and humanities will now need five credits, including English Language, in relevant subjects, obtained within two sittings.
Mathematics will no longer be compulsory for such programmes.
However, mathematics remained a core requirement for applicants to science, technology, and social science programmes.
For polytechnic admissions, four relevant credits including English will be required for non-science courses, while science-related fields will continue to require mathematics.
The same model applies to Colleges of Education, with credit in English required for Arts and Social Sciences, and mathematics mandatory for science and technical disciplines.
The government also revealed that the National Innovation Diploma (NID) programme would be phased out and replaced by the National Diploma (ND) to ensure consistency and better career progression for graduates.
Dr. Alausa added that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) was currently re-accrediting Innovation Enterprise Institutions to align them with the new standard.
The reforms, he said, are expected to allow an additional 250,000 to 300,000 students to gain access to tertiary education annually, helping reduce the number of out-of-school youths and boosting vocational and technical education.
“This marks a deliberate shift toward a more inclusive and flexible education system, one that reflects both local realities and global standards,” the minister said.
