Director of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, Professor Anthony Kila, has maintained that not every Nigerian needs to attend a university, arguing that vocational and technical education should be strengthened as alternative pathways for those with different skills or interests.
Kila stated this while criticising the Federal Government’s decision to remove mathematics as a compulsory requirement for students seeking admission into tertiary institutions to study arts and humanities.
Describing the move as “a retreat, not a reform,” Kila said the new policy was a fundamental error that risked eroding the rigour and intellectual foundation of university education in Nigeria.
He insisted that education reform should raise standards, not dilute them in the name of access.
Recall that on Tuesday, NewsNGR reported that the Federal Government approved a comprehensive reform of admission entry requirements into all tertiary institutions across the country.
The revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions, announced by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, are aimed at removing barriers while expanding access to higher education.
Under the new framework, mathematics is no longer mandatory for students applying to study arts and humanities, though it remains a requirement for science, technology, and social science programmes.
Alausa explained that the reform was designed to admit an additional 250,000 to 300,000 students annually and to correct years of restricted access caused by what he described as “outdated and overly stringent entry requirements.”
But Kila, speaking on ARISE NEWS on Thursday, faulted the rationale behind the policy, arguing that it sends the wrong message about academic discipline.
He said that while the government’s intent to expand access is commendable, the method chosen undermines quality and intellectual integrity.
“It’s a very bad move, there’s no other way to put it,” Kila said, stressing that removing mathematics because students find it difficult reflects a defeatist approach to education.
“We are running away from what challenges us in an age when the world is becoming more analytical and data-driven. That’s not reform; it’s retreat,” he said.
He noted that mathematics does far more than solve numerical problems; it builds logical reasoning, structure, precision and qualities he said are essential for artists, lawyers, philosophers, and social scientists alike.
Explaining further, he said that even poets and writers rely on logical rhythm and mental order that mathematics helps to develop.
“Mathematics disciplines the mind. It’s what ensures your poetry does not become noise and your reasoning does not become chaos,” Kila said.
He faulted the Ministry of Education for focusing on lowering academic thresholds instead of improving the quality of teaching and learning environments.
According to him, the government should be “fixing broken classrooms, providing better furniture, repairing windows, and training teachers,” rather than erasing essential academic requirements.
Kila argued that rather than making mathematics optional, authorities should have developed customised mathematics courses for the humanities, such as “Mathematics for Social Sciences” or “Statistics for Literature,” to ensure all students attain a minimum standard of quantitative literacy relevant to their fields.
He also cautioned against using global trends as justification for the policy, saying that Nigeria should aim to lead educational innovation rather than merely follow it.
“When we talk about global trends, we should not just follow them blindly. We should create graduates with the X factor and one of those X factors is mathematics,” he said.
On the issue of access versus quality, the professor called for balance, insisting that both can be achieved without compromising academic rigour.
“We can expand opportunities and still insist on foundational competence. We must ensure students have documented evidence of basic mathematical understanding before entering university,” he said.
“I do not agree that everybody should go to university. We need trade schools, technical colleges, and vocational centres where people can build careers and live meaningful lives. But what we must never do is glorify failure by lowering university entry standards,” he stressed.
According to Kila, the duty of leadership is to raise the nation’s intellectual bar, not bend it.
“The role of the minister, parents, and society, is to uplift all, not to come down to their level,” said Kila.
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