Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has shared his thoughts on removing mathematics as a compulsory admission requirement for arts students.
Obi argued that suggesting that arts students do not need mathematics is to imply that they do not need analytical precision.
Condemning the decision, the former Anambra governor insisted that the ability to reason clearly and make sound judgements is an indispensable quality that mathematics uniquely nurtures.
He warned that once students believe they do not need a subject, they abandon it.
Obi said, “To suggest that arts students do not need mathematics is to imply that they can do without clarity of thought or analytical precision, the very foundations of intellectual maturity.
“Once students believe they can safely neglect the subject, many will abandon it altogether, leaving them ill-prepared for the demands of modern life, where logic, computation, and structured reasoning underpin almost every human activity.
“At a time when the world is driven by science, technology, and data, it is disheartening, indeed, dirt to the ears, to hear of such retrogression. We cannot afford to return to a system that sidelines mathematics. Our education policy must aim to equip every child, regardless of discipline, with the skills and competencies relevant to the twenty-first century.
“At this juncture, one is constrained to ask the reason behind its removal as a required subject for admission. Does it mean that our tertiary institutions lack enough students because of mathematics? What, indeed, are the reasons?
“I therefore urge the relevant authorities to reconsider this decision in the interest of our students and the future of our nation and reinstate it as a core admission subject. Education should move forward, not backward.”
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