Xraying the ‘many’ education policies

Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Nigeria’s education sector has experienced a troubling pattern of policy inconsistency—a cycle in which major announcements are made with fanfare, face swift public backlash and are subsequently reversed or “clarified” within days or weeks. This phenomenon, often described by stakeholders as “policy somersaults,” has raised […]

Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Nigeria’s education sector has experienced a troubling pattern of policy inconsistency—a cycle in which major announcements are made with fanfare, face swift public backlash and are subsequently reversed or “clarified” within days or weeks.

This phenomenon, often described by stakeholders as “policy somersaults,” has raised questions about coordination, consultation and the government’s overall policy direction in education.

In October 2024, reports emerged that the Federal Ministry of Education had directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and tertiary institutions to restrict undergraduate admissions to candidates aged 18 years and above. According to a former Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, the policy aimed to curb the admission of “underage” students and ensure emotional maturity at the university level.

The announcement, however, sparked immediate nationwide outrage. Parents, educators and advocacy groups criticised the move as arbitrary and exclusionary, arguing that it would unfairly penalise gifted or fast-learning students who completed secondary education before turning 18. Observers also noted that many public and private schools routinely graduated students between 15 and 17 years old.

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Barely a month later, in November 2024, the newly appointed Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who replaced Mamman, officially reversed the 18-year benchmark, restoring the previous minimum age of 16. He described the earlier directive as “ill-timed” and pledged wider stakeholder consultation before any future adjustments.

According to Alausa, these changes were part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to align Nigeria’s education sector with global benchmarks and prepare young citizens for a technology-driven economy. This reversal became the first widely acknowledged policy u-turn of the Tinubu administration in education.

In mid-October 2025, the Federal Ministry of Education reportedly announced that Mathematics would no longer be a compulsory subject for candidates seeking admission into Arts and Humanities programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The move, intended to “ease access” for students in non-science disciplines, immediately sparked controversy.

Teachers’ associations, parents and education experts criticised the policy, warning that it could undermine numeracy and general competence in higher education.

The social media erupted with commentary, describing the decision as another sign of poor policy coordination within the ministry.

Within five days, following widespread protests and editorial pushback, the ministry clarified that Mathematics and English Language would remain compulsory at the O-Level for all students, including those in Arts and Humanities.

Officials attributed the uproar to “miscommunication” of the policy intent.

This quick reversal echoed the earlier 18-year admission controversy and reinforced public perception of Tinubu government’s reactive and uncoordinated approach to education policy.

Speaking with an academic consultant, Mr Peter Akinade of Boar Tutors praised the government for listening to public concerns.

“It is good the government reversed the policy on the age for admission. It will be unfair to delay a child from gaining admission because of age. It was simply in the right direction. We want them to continue to listen to Nigerians and do their best.

“I initially found that policy strange. For Mathematics, we all do basic Mathematics, and having the basic knowledge is required. I also welcomed the idea that it was well clarified before Nigerians misunderstood it,” he said.

The national president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Mr Yomi Odubela, was confident that the age policy wasn’t going to stay.

He said, “We were confident that the decision would not stand because it lacked thorough consultation with key stakeholders before its introduction.”

A 15-year-old Faith Obaji, who had passed the United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), initially expressed frustration over her disqualification but welcomed the reversal of the policy.

“I will be 16 by November 22 and I was asking why JAMB couldn’t use December 31 as the cut-off date as it still falls within the admission year. But I was elated when the policy was reversed,” she said.

Similarly, the education director of Educonsult Ltd, Tunji Adewuyi, described the first policy as regressive and the Mathematics policy as poorly communicated.

“The age policy was retrogressive; and I believe it wasn’t well thought by the previous minister. It is good that his successor came and reversed it. We have very intelligent students who are below 18 and that policy could delay them. That would be unfair. For the Mathematics policy, I understood it but it wasn’t well stated for Nigerians to understand. I will advice the government to consult widely with all relevant stakeholders and not rush into making policy,” he said.

However, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, clarified that the government had not performed a policy somersault:

“There has been no u-turn. This is a clarification on the streamlined admission requirements designed to expand access to tertiary education. To be clear, we did not expunge Mathematics but have clarified some misconceptions.

“Firstly, nobody has sacked JAMB or removed its statutory responsibility for admission. Secondly, despite the streamlining, every SS3 student is expected to register and sit for both English and Mathematics,” she said.

She further explained that the reform aligned with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at broadening access to higher education and ensuring inclusivity. According to Dr Alausa, the decision seeks to correct long-standing inequities in the admission process that have denied many qualified students’ opportunities due to rigid entry requirements.

“This imbalance must give way to fairness and opportunity. Our goal is to ensure that capable and deserving candidates are not denied education because of obsolete policies,” he stated.

He noted that while over two million candidates sit for the UTME annually, only about 700,000 secure admissions—a situation the government attributes more to restrictive policies than candidates’ lack of competence.

Dr Joseph Chukwu, the Head of Mass Communication at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, criticised the original move but praised the reversal.

“I was annoyed when I saw the news on the policy. I was totally against it from the onset. Education is supposed to be all-rounder. At least we do local calculations. This policy would have dragged education down. I hail the Federal Ministry of Education for having a rethink and not being a party to the falling of education. Students will now relax, and that won’t help the education to grow,” he said.

An educationist, Michael Omisore, also described the initial policy as detrimental, but welcomed the clarification.

“The idea was silly. It is as good as saying, ‘don’t have Maths as a subject. The students will totally shut down from anything Maths from SS1. Do we understand what we are really dealing with? No one is asking any student to get A1 in Maths before gaining admission. Getting a C6 is good enough. Now, we can even determine that some courses and departments should accept D7 in Maths. But I am glad that the controversy has been clarified,” he said.

Moshood Adebola, a member of the Education Rights Campaign, warned of long-term implications, but expressed satisfaction at the clarification. “To view Mathematics merely as a procedural hurdle is to misunderstand its very essence. I contend that Mathematics is, in itself, a profound art—a natural human skill that emboldens deeper critical thinking and logical reasoning.

“I am glad the federal government has considered a more holistic and empowering mandate. Making Mathematics, English Language, Government and History compulsory for all students would forge a citizenry that is not only literate and numerate but also historically grounded and civically engaged,” he said.

Under the new guidelines, Mathematics remains compulsory for science, technology and social science students but is no longer required for those in the arts.

The recurring “policy somersaults”—from the 18-year admission benchmark to the Mathematics controversy—highlight deeper governance and communication challenges within Nigeria’s education system.

As a former national president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Dr Mike Ike-Ene advised, for the Tinubu administration to achieve a lasting progress, it must prioritise stakeholder engagement, institutional coherence and transparent communication before introducing new policies.

In the same vein, the Federal Government recently announced a major shift in language policy for schools, directing teachers nationwide to prioritise English as the primary medium of instruction. This decision officially ends the national policy that previously mandated the use of indigenous languages in classrooms.

According to the government, the objective is to improve learning outcomes and ensure greater uniformity in instruction across the country. The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, during an interaction with journalists at the Language in Education International Conference 2025, organised by the British Council in Abuja.

The two-day conference, themed “Language, Education and Inclusion: Empowering Every Learner,” brought together policymakers, educators, researchers, and development partners from Africa, South Asia, and the UK to explore ways of advancing equitable and high-quality education through language.

Dr Alausa noted that indigenous languages remain important for cultural preservation but emphasized that English should serve as the primary instructional language from pre-primary to tertiary levels to strengthen comprehension and global competitiveness. He added that English functions as a unifying tool across Nigeria’s diverse linguistic landscape, offering students wider access to knowledge, technology, and international opportunities.

He explained that data and evidence informed the government’s decision to cancel the mother tongue policy, noting that its excessive use in some regions contributed to poor performance in national examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB.

“English language should be used to teach our students at all levels as a means of instruction. Over the years, mother tongues have been used to teach and this has largely been responsible for the failures recorded in exams. The national policy on language has been cancelled. English now stands as the medium of instruction across all levels of education,” he said.