JAMB: Maths Dropped for Arts Courses to Curb Forgery

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has explained that the decision to remove Mathematics as an admission requirement for Arts and Humanities courses was taken to curb forgery and align education policy with reality.

JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, made the clarification on Sunday while addressing journalists at the opening ceremony of Jihad Week, organised by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), University of Ibadan branch, and the launch of Ad-Dhikr magazine in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Oloyede said the policy adjustment was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education, stressing that the move would ensure fairness and eliminate unnecessary barriers for students in disciplines that do not require Mathematics proficiency.

He noted that students pursuing programmes in Arts and Humanities lose nothing if they lack credit in Mathematics since the subject has little relevance to their fields.

“What the Ministry has done is to align realities with policy. How will you say someone studying Yoruba at the University of Ibadan must have Mathematics when he can study the same course at the University of London without it?” Oloyede said.

He added that the decision also aims to discourage the forgery of certificates often linked to unrealistic admission demands.

“When you insist on irrelevant qualifications, people resort to forgery. The Ministry’s decision is to make policies reflect real needs,” he explained.

The JAMB Registrar also disclosed that the Federal Executive Council’s embargo on establishing new universities was intended to strengthen existing ones and ensure quality education rather than quantity.

“It’s not just about the number of universities but their quality. If the current institutions are properly mobilised, they can meet our needs,” he said.

Oloyede urged members of the MSSN to propagate Islam through both preaching and conduct, describing the organisation as a “mass movement established to bring people closer to Islam.”

Also speaking at the event, Adeoye, a guest speaker, urged Nigerian youths to believe in the country, stressing that “Islam teaches us to love ourselves and our nation.”