The Federal Government (FG) has once again gone looking for what is not lost. The Federal Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, just announced that going forward, Mathematics will no longer be a requirement for potential Art and Humanities students to gain entry into the University. This will negate the longstanding requirement that students need a credit (C) in five subjects, including Mathematics and English. Making it compulsory for candidates to get at least a C in Math, English, and three other subjects.
However, this new development means that for students who want to go into Arts and Humanities, they would not be required to pass Mathematics in secondary school certificate exams. This is a disaster waiting to happen, and the fact that Alausa doesn’t see it, is mind-boggling.
What is the Rationale Behind the New Policy?
Alausa seems to think along these lines. First, he thinks that not enough students are entering University yearly, and that – to him – is down to the “stringent” requirements set by key education authorities in the country. The second reason is his thinking that non-science students don’t need Mathematics.
The first is so obviously misguided, because it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the main reason universities only admit a small fraction of the available candidates is infrastructure. School classrooms and hostels can only take a finite number of students, even with squatting and overcrowded classrooms.
Obafemi Awolowo University only accepts 7% of the students who apply. This is not because the candidates were required to get a C in Math. University of Lagos (UNILAG) sits at 11% acceptance rate. There’s simply no space to take in even 50% of candidates. In case you never noticed, a LOT of people are trying to enter University yearly.
The second part of his reason is even more confusing. The idea that Art and Humanities students don’t need to pass Math is outright laughable. Many youths never go through University, and end up going through life with the basic English and Math skills they learnt in primary and secondary school.
Alausa’s stance looks more absurd when you consider that the requirement is a passing grade, not even a ‘good grade’. At secondary school level, the lowest passing grade (which is the requirement) is 50%. The Minister of Education is saying that anyone who seeks a University degree doesn’t need to reach that level. How does that even make sense?
So in Alausa’s world, a student who was unable to put together a 50/100 in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) should still be allowed to pursue a tertiary education degree.
The Irony: Maintaining Academic Standards
The Minister’s words spell out a hilarious irony. Alausa says the purpose of revising the National Guidelines for entry requirements is to remove barriers, while maintaining academic standards.
In what way does lowering the academic requirements for embarking on a fundamental part of your life maintain academic standards? I’m tempted to think Alausa said that purely because of how ironic he realized it’d sound.
It looks like the very idea is to lower the academic standards not just in universities, but in the country as a whole.
What are the Consequences of this New Directive
The consequence of this new requirement is an inevitable drop in standards. No, let me put it this way: the intellectual level of young people in Nigeria goes from what it is now, to nothingness. The level doesn’t just reduce, it completely ceases to exist. This is so baffling that I have so many questions.
Who does it help when you lower the requirement for university entry in this way? Why shouldn’t Nigerians be expected to do as well as their international counterparts of similar ages? Why is FG suggesting that children be allowed to disregard something as important as Math? How does this help the universities, the government, or the children?
The importance of Math has been the single biggest inspiration for children who have no interest in it. Many children already have no interest in it, due to how difficult it can get. However, Guardians and teachers have always been able to get these children to sit up, given how important it is to have math skills.
It is dangerous to give this kind of directive, because it removes the necessity to be serious in a fundamental subject.
This directive also sets children up for disaster, because not all of them will get a University education, mostly due to socioeconomic issues. This then means that the education they get up until that point, becomes even more important. If they don’t have a strong standing at that point, it’d be an issue.
A C in five subjects including Math and English makes sense, as it accounts for the assimilation and understanding levels of a large section of children. If students aren’t required to be at a certain baseline level before University, how will they measure up when placed with their peers from other countries?
Don’t Fix What’s Not Broken
FG is clearly trying to change what doesn’t need to be changed. The Education sector needs massive improvement, yes, but not in the requirements for entry into University. It couldn’t be made any more fair. Any change made to that, will take value from the process, rather than add to it.
Universities need funding. Public primary schools in Northern Nigeria need infrastructure and staff. These issues should be on the forefront of the Education Minister’s mind, not trying to fix the already perfect entry requirements for tertiary institutions.
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