20th October 2025
The Federal Government has clarified that English Language and Mathematics remain compulsory subjects for all students registering for their O’Level examinations, despite the recent review of tertiary admission requirements.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Federal Ministry of Education said the new policy on streamlined admission criteria does not exempt any candidate from registering or sitting for the two core subjects.
The clarification, signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, followed widespread misinterpretations of the newly introduced O’Level admission framework.
Earlier on Tuesday, Boriowo had announced that senior secondary school students in the arts and humanities would no longer be required to present a credit in Mathematics for tertiary admissions. She explained that the reform became necessary to widen access to higher education after years of restricted opportunities that denied many qualified candidates admission.
According to her, while over two million candidates sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination annually, only about 700,000 gain admission — a gap the new policy seeks to address.
However, the announcement sparked controversy among educationists, some of whom warned that the policy could encourage complacency among students and lower academic standards.
In the latest clarification, the ministry stressed that the reform does not remove the requirement for students to register and sit for Mathematics and English Language in their Senior School Certificate Examinations.
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