Dissecting FG’s Troubling Education Policy Somersault

Nigeria’s education sector has recently experienced several policy reversals and shifts. These sudden changes have sparked intense debate among stakeholders, educators, and parents nationwide.

At the DISCLOSURE News, we feel it is alarming with the speed and frequency. It does not look like the actions are well thought out and that is why we feel it is alarming.

From 6-3-3-4 system of education, Neco exam fees, Jamb age policy  and national language policy, discussions, decisions, announcements and policy reversals were done in such a manner that leaves stakeholders confused as per the one that is in vogue.

During the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, his minister of education was obsessed with the age of JAMB candidates and threatened to peg the admission age to an uncomfortable level irrespective of whether or not the child is a superstar.

This was even as we knew that some Nigerians, not to talk of the records in advanced countries reached the apogee of their education career at a very young age.

It was a relief when that minister was relieved of his job.

Then enter Tinubu and his minister of education.

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.

Policy changes are supposed to be well thought out, wide consultations, stakeholders meetings within the offices before they are announced.

For instance, 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.

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.

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.”

“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.

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.

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.

Nigeria’s latest education policy is undergoing a transformative shift from the traditional 6-3-3-4 system to an uninterrupted 12-year Basic Education model . Driven by the Ministerial Strategic Plan (2024–2027) and recent curriculum overhauls, the policy focuses heavily on vocational training, skill acquisition, and digital inclusion to reduce out-of-school rates and prepare students for the modern workforce.

We don’t believe that a government should shutdown a  popular policy that is working simply because it wants to introduce its own.

Conversely, when a policy is no longer working and serving it’s need, then it has to be reviewed. We have seen superstars reaching their zenith in the age of 20, 21 etcetera. We have also seen children leave their parents at a very tender age to study overseas. If these could happen in the yester- years, why are we rolling the wheels of progress backwards.

We would like the government to pay adequate attention to the curriculum and contents that are approved for study and moulding of the young minds. We are always taken aback with some unpalatable stories of approved contents discovered after long implementation. We have to be vigilant and ensure that History as a subject, for instance, is back and if possible made compulsory. This nation needs it as a way of healing the nation. We need that cohesion.