The federal ministry of education has moved to calm rising concerns over the recently revised senior secondary school curriculum, assuring parents, teachers, and students that no subject has been restricted or made compulsory outside official guidelines.
The controversy began in November when a Lagos school abruptly announced new subject offerings for students preparing for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The announcement followed a WAEC communiqué introducing updated subject requirements for the 2026 exam cycle.
WAEC said the changes were designed to reduce subject overload and introduce modern skills such as digital literacy and entrepreneurship. The ministry had earlier noted that the new curriculum would take effect at the start of each three-year senior secondary cycle.
Under the revised structure, the approved core subjects include: English Language, General Mathematics, Citizenship and Heritage Studies, Digital Technologies (formerly ICT) and One trade subject
However, students will not be examined on Citizenship and Heritage Studies or Digital Technologies in 2026, as WAEC is still preparing detailed syllabuses for the subjects.
Trade subjects have also been streamlined from 26 to just six, although the content remains largely the same.
The new system sparked widespread confusion. Many parents and students feared they might be forced to take new trade subjects they had never been taught in SS1 or SS2.
Business students also worried that Marketing had suddenly become compulsory even for schools that do not offer the subject. Others argued that students who previously took Civic Education or Computer Studies were now being pressured to add new subjects just to meet the minimum eight required for WASSCE registration.
Responding to the concerns, Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, issued a statement clarifying that students are free to choose any subject within the approved curriculum and no category of students is restricted from selecting subjects across science, arts, or social sciences.
“Science students may pick subjects normally classified under the arts or social sciences, and vice versa,” the statement said.
The federal government also confirmed that students who currently offer ICT are fully eligible to sit for the Digital Technologies exam.
Even more importantly, the minister stressed that no student is required to take any of the six trade subjects if they were not taught those subjects.
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