‘All subjects are still open to students’ — FG clears the air on new SSCE curriculum

The federal ministry of education has stepped in to calm the confusion that has been brewing around the newly revised senior secondary school curriculum.

The panic started in November when a Lagos school abruptly informed parents that students would now have to choose from a new set of subjects for the 2026 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Many assumed the school was acting on a fresh directive from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which had just released a list of revised subjects for next year’s exam.

WAEC’s update, aimed at reducing subject overload and introducing skills like digital literacy and entrepreneurship, applies to students who will write WASSCE in the next six months. But the education ministry had earlier said the revised structure would only take effect at the start of each three-year cycle, leaving many unsure of what was actually changing now.

Under the new arrangement, the approved core subjects are English Language, General Mathematics, Citizenship and Heritage Studies, Digital Technologies (formerly ICT), and one trade subject. However, the ministry has confirmed that students won’t be tested on the new Citizenship and Heritage Studies or Digital Technologies in 2026 because their curriculum and exam syllabuses aren’t ready yet. Trade subjects have also been reduced from 26 to six, but the course content stays the same.

Where the confusion came from

Parents and teachers began to worry that students who had never been taught certain subjects, especially the newly streamlined trade options- would be forced to take them just to reach the minimum number of exam subjects. Others questioned whether Marketing had quietly become compulsory for business students.

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The fear was simple: Would SS3 students suddenly have to choose subjects they’ve never seen before?

‘No student is being forced into any subject’

To clear things up, Tunji Alausa, minister of education, issued a statement saying students are not restricted to only the newly highlighted subjects. He stressed that every approved subject in the curriculum is still available for students to select; no student is being boxed into unfamiliar options.

He added that schools must guide students properly instead of narrowing their choices.

“Science students may pick subjects usually grouped under the arts or social sciences, and vice versa,” the statement said, emphasising that the curriculum is flexible, not rigid.

The ministry also clarified that students who currently offer ICT are eligible to sit for Digital Technologies in the exam.

As for the trade subjects, the minister made it clear that students are not required to register for any of the six if the school hasn’t taught them the subject.