Former Maltina Teacher of the Year, Olasunkanmi Opeifa, has reacted to the Federal Government’s new policy removing Mathematics as a compulsory requirement for Humanities students seeking university admission.
In a Facebook post titled “What If Mathematics Was Taught With Purpose?”, the award-winning educator welcomed the development but urged policymakers to rethink how Mathematics is taught rather than eliminating it completely.
Opeifa, who won the 2018 Maltina Teacher of the Year Award and was later recognised among the Top 10 Global Teacher Prize finalists, said Mathematics should be redesigned to reflect its relevance to Arts and Humanities disciplines.
“I’ve always wondered what Arts students were doing with topics like bearing, integration, differentiation, logarithms, and surds,” he wrote. “But what if, instead of removing Mathematics entirely, we redesigned it to serve relevance?”
The English teacher and education advocate proposed the introduction of an “Arts Mathematics” curriculum — a subject tailored to the analytical and creative needs of Humanities students.
According to him, this version of Mathematics should focus on percentages, profit and loss, ratio, basic statistics, probability, equations, and reasoning problems that can sharpen critical thinking and creativity.
“Just like we have Further Mathematics for Science students, why not have Arts Mathematics for Humanities students?” he asked. “It would make the subject relevant, purposeful, and empowering.”
Opeifa also suggested developing a separate syllabus and textbook for the new course, with input from Mathematics teachers, to ensure it builds students’ capacity and confidence rather than fear.
While many Humanities students have celebrated the new policy, Opeifa cautioned that removing Mathematics entirely could create long-term challenges if the subject’s foundational skills are ignored.
“I love this development,” he said. “But as we celebrate it, we can still package it better — not by removing what matters, but by redefining its relevance.”
Opeifa’s post has since attracted wide attention online, sparking discussions among teachers and education stakeholders about the purpose and practicality of Mathematics education in Nigeria.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.
Well balanced. Rather than removing mathematics requirements, Nigeria should consider what successful systems do:
– Differentiated mathematics pathways: applied math, financial literacy, statistical reasoning – not just pure mathematics
– Contextualized learning: showing arts students how math applies to their interests
– Improved pedagogy: addressing why students struggle rather than lowering standards.
The question shouldn’t be “Do arts students need math?” but rather “How do we teach mathematics in ways that engage all students and connect to their aspirations?”
You have raised some very salient points here. Thank you so much reaching out.