Moshood Oshunfurewa Adebola
writes from Lagos State
A recent resolution by the Nigerian government to exempt art students from mathematics, with the stated aim of easing university admission, presents a paradoxical and perilous crossroads for education. While the policy’s intention is clear, its long-term implications threaten to sever students from a fundamental discipline that shapes modern thought and opportunity.
This approach is not without international precedent; nations like Finland and New Zealand have, in recent years, explored similar curricular flexibilities. However, to view mathematics merely as a procedural hurdle is to misunderstand its very essence. I contend that mathematics is, in itself, a profound art—a natural human skill that emboldens deeper critical thinking and logical reasoning. The future of our world, without a doubt, is built upon the twin pillars of science and mathematics.
It is therefore disquieting to see a subject of such universal importance potentially following the path of others, like history, which have suffered from educational neglect. We must not allow mathematics to become another casualty. To understand its value is to recognize it as a gateway to wealth and the binary code behind cutting-edge inventions, much like the wisdom encoded in the Oriki of the Ọ̀fa people. It is the foundational language of the progress that will shape our world in the years to come.
This policy is particularly alarming given the existing context of declining performance in the subject. Are we not, by effectively de-emphasizing its importance, risk cultivating generations of young people devoid of basic quantitative skills? This leads to another pressing concern: the reality that many Nigerian university graduates often find employment outside their specific field of study, necessitating constant retraining. In such a dynamic landscape, a solid foundation in mathematics provides the versatile, analytical toolkit essential for adapting to new challenges and professions.
Mathematics is the oxygen of modern life; no day passes without engaging in some form of calculation, whether basic or complex. Its universal utility is underscored by global trends, exemplified by Mark Zuckerberg’s recent multi-million dollar acquisition of a young AI startup, a investment pivoting on the instinctive mathematical capacity that fuels technological innovation.
Rather than taking a path that may limit our students’ horizons, I would have urged the Federal Government to consider a more holistic and empowering mandate. Making Mathematics, English Language, Government, and History compulsory for all students would forge a citizenry that is not only literate and numerate but also historically grounded and civically engaged.
While I am not an educationist by profession, it is evident that the future belongs to nations that champion precision and the cognitive skills mathematics uniquely provides. For Nigeria to become more productive and competitive, we must breathe the oxygen of mathematics, not ration it. Our national development depends on it.
