The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has denied issuing directive on subject combinations for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
In a statement by its spokesperson, Moyosola Adeshina, WAEC said that the regulation of curriculum and subject combinations is purely under the purview of the Nigerian government and not WAEC.
WAEC’s statement followed online publications that suggested that the examination body introduced a new subject combination that limits science and art students from taking Economics in the WASSCE.
However, the examination body denied this, saying it is only an assessment body whose work follows the government regulations.
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“WAEC hereby affirms that the council did not issue any such directive(s) nor restrict the choice of students to offer any particular subject(s) for WASSCE (SC) 2026 as alleged,” the statement said.
“As a law-abiding organisation, WAEC operates strictly within the established legal and operational frameworks of its host country.”
The statement said the introduction or modification of any curriculum in Nigeria is dependent on the Nigerian government.
“We emphasise that changes in the Curriculum are not implemented arbitrarily by the council, but by following due process as mandated by the federal government,” it added.
New curriculum
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Nigerian government introduced a new curriculum for basic and secondary schools, mandating students to take at least one trade subject.
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The curriculum, developed by the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), introduced trade subjects such as: Solar Photovoltaic installation and maintenance, Fashion design and garment making, Livestock farming, Beauty and cosmetology, Computer hardware and GSM repairs, Horticulture and crop production.
The government has also said candidates seeking admission into the Faculties of Arts in Nigerian universities no longer need to pass Mathematics in their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
