Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, says the Federal Government’s decision to exempt certain categories of students from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will significantly increase access to tertiary education across Nigeria.
According to the minister, the policy is expected to raise annual admissions into tertiary institutions to about 1.5 million students, nearly double the figures recorded over the past two years.
Alausa disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
He explained that the new policy affects candidates seeking admission into colleges of education, as well as students applying for non-technology agricultural courses in polytechnics and monotechnics.
“Guess what, this year alone, with the changes we are making through eliminating UTME requirements for college of education and UTME requirement for non-technology agricultural courses in our polytechnics and monotechnics would increase the number of people being admitted throughout tertiary institutions to about 1.5 million,” the minister said.
“That is literally doubling it from two years ago. This has created opportunities for young Nigerians,” he added.
The minister stated that one of the major reasons behind the exemption was the government’s drive to strengthen food security and encourage more young Nigerians to pursue agriculture-related programmes.
“The exemptions are for people going into colleges of education and people going to monotechnics or polytechnics to study non-technology agriculture courses and there is a reason for that.
”We need that to help food security in our country,” Alausa explained.
He also announced plans by the Ministry of Education to embark on a comprehensive review and modernisation of agricultural curricula in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education nationwide.
According to him, the curriculum review is designed to align agricultural education with present-day realities and modern farming techniques that have evolved over the years.
The minister noted that the proposed changes would incorporate innovations and emerging practices in the agricultural sector, including greenhouse farming and other advanced production methods.
“Hopefully by the end of this year, we will have a brand new agric curriculum that meets modern day standard,” he said.
Alausa had earlier announced the UTME exemption policy on Monday during the 2026 policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Abuja.
Under the new admission guidelines, candidates seeking admission through the exempted categories will only be required to possess a minimum of four O-level credits in their school certificate examinations.
The minister explained that the policy is also intended to reduce administrative pressure on JAMB while encouraging more students to embrace the teaching profession and agriculture-related studies.
Education stakeholders have continued to react to the policy, with supporters describing it as a strategic step towards expanding access to tertiary education and addressing manpower shortages in critical sectors such as education and agriculture.
