By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that the removal of Mathematics as an admission requirement for Arts and Humanities courses was introduced to curb result forgery and align educational policies with present realities.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, made this known while addressing journalists at the opening ceremony of the Jihad Week organised by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), University of Ibadan branch, and during the launch of Ad-Dhikr magazine on Sunday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The Federal Ministry of Education had earlier announced that a credit pass in Mathematics would no longer be mandatory for candidates seeking admission into Arts and Humanities-related programmes in universities and polytechnics.
Speaking on the development, Professor Oloyede explained that the Federal Ministry of Education’s decision was aimed at discouraging forgery and ensuring that admission policies reflect the actual demands of the academic environment.
He noted that students pursuing Arts and Humanities degrees have nothing to lose if they do not possess a credit in Mathematics, as the subject is not directly related to their chosen fields of study.
The JAMB boss also commented on the recent embargo on the establishment of new universities, stating that the move was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to strengthen existing institutions rather than expand without adequate capacity.
He emphasised that all the recent decisions taken by the government were in the best interest of students, parents, and other stakeholders in the education sector.
While addressing members of MSSN, Oloyede urged them to promote Islam not only through preaching but also through exemplary behaviour.
Oloyede said, “The directives were recommendations that went from bottom up. It is not that the ministry of education just woke up one day and decided. It was a product of data, fact and the embargo, the federal executive council placed the embargo. Because it is not just the number but quality.
If the current number of universities that we have are properly mobilised, they have the capacity to attend to our needs rather than having mushroom universities without the appropriate machinery to act as universities.
“On the qualifications, what the ministry has just done is to align the realities with the policy. The policy has been there but how many universities are complying. How will you say that somebody who wants to study Yoruba at University of Ibadan should have mathematics when he can go to University of London and study Yoruba without Mathematics.
Somebody of recent studied creative arts in Canada and he came back and NYSC was demanding Mathematics from him and he gone to one of the topmost universities in the world, so Nigeria, is what the ministry of education is doing is realigning policy with the reality on ground.
“And it is in our interest not to encourage forgery. When you are making demands. Somebody wants to study Arabic or somebody wants to study Hausa or Igbo and you now say he could have been admitted but for Mathematics.
What is the relationship between Igbo and Mathematics when the same man can go to University of London to do the degree without Mathematics. I think what the ministry of education is doing is to ensure that policies are based on realities.
“MSSN is a mass movement organisation. It is an organisation that was established to ensure that people are brought to Islam and I urge the current MSSN to propagate Islam not only through preaching but also through their conduct”.
Also speaking, Adeoye urged Nigerian youths to believe in the country’s potential, noting that the future of the nation rests on their shoulders.
He said, “Islam teaches us to love ourselves and our nation. For the youths of Nigeria, there are a lot of fortunes in Nigeria. We just need to belief in Nigeria as a nation”.