The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has clarified that candidates seeking admission into certain university programmes in Nigeria no longer need a credit pass in Mathematics.
Speaking during an interview on Nigerian Television Authority’s Good Morning Nigeria, JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin explained that the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination is only part of the admission process and not the ultimate qualification for entry into higher institutions.
According to him, the major requirement for admission remains five relevant O’Level credits, including English Language and subjects related to the candidate’s chosen field.
“Don’t forget that the UTME is not a major determinant of qualification for admission,” Benjamin said.
He noted that the UTME mainly serves as a tool to ensure transparency, fairness, and equal opportunity, especially in courses with limited admission spaces.
“This examination is conducted. It’s a vehicle through which we can create equity, fairness, transparency,” he added.
Benjamin further disclosed that Mathematics has been removed as a compulsory requirement for some language-based courses such as Hausa and Arabic.
“For instance, you want to read Hausa language in a university today, you don’t need mathematics. Before, you must have a credit in mathematics,” he explained.
“If you go to London, you want to read Hausa or Arabic, you don’t need mathematics. Mathematics has no area in those programmes. That has been waived.”
He stressed that tertiary institutions still retain the authority to determine admissions in line with policies agreed upon by stakeholders and the Federal Ministry of Education.
