The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) has criticised the Federal Ministry of Education for issuing what it described as an “empty and evasive clarification” on the rollout of the revised Senior Secondary School Curriculum ahead of the 2026 WASSCE.

In a statement released on Monday, the ERC said the Ministry’s December 6 press release ignored the central concern raised by parents, teachers and students—namely, that current SSS 3 students are being compelled to sit for subjects they have never been taught since SSS 1.

Ministry’s Clarification Dismissed as Inadequate

According to the Ministry, Education Minister Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa and Minister of State Prof. Sa’id Suwaiba Ahmad insisted there were “no restrictions” on subject selection and that students could freely choose from science, arts, or social science subjects. They stressed that the curriculum was designed to be flexible and student-centred.

But the ERC argued that the statement failed to resolve the fundamental problem: thousands of SSS 3 students now face pressure to pick new subjects absent from WAEC’s portal due to the curriculum overhaul.

“It is irrational to make the current SSS 3 students take any subject which they have not been taught since SSS 1,”
the ERC said in a statement signed by National Mobilisation Officer Adaramoye Michael Lenin and Olanrewaju Akinola, representing Concerned Parents.

Subjects Removed, Students Forced to Pick Unfamiliar Courses

The group noted that key subjects such as Civic Education, Computer Studies, Tourism, Storekeeping and Insurance—traditionally taught from SSS 1—have vanished from the WAEC registration portal because they do not exist in the revised curriculum.

As a result, students across various disciplines are being forced to choose entirely new subjects just months before their 2026 examinations.

For instance:

• Science students who had studied English, Mathematics, Civic, Tourism, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, and Computer Studies must now replace at least two missing subjects.
• Business students must replace three, while humanities students are also affected as they try to meet WAEC’s minimum eight-subject requirement.

Curriculum Should Not Apply Until 2028, ERC Insists

The ERC referenced the Ministry’s own earlier announcement on September 3, 2025, which stated that the new curriculum would only be introduced at the beginning of each three-year cycle—Primary 1, Primary 4, JSS 1 and SSS 1.

The NERDC had similarly clarified that the curriculum should only affect WAEC candidates starting 2028, when current SSS 1 students would reach their final year.

“The Ministry’s current position is incomprehensible,” the group stated.

Reps’ Intervention Commended — Ministry Accused of Defiance

The House of Representatives had passed a resolution on December 4, 2025, ordering the Ministry to suspend implementation of the revised curriculum for the 2026 WASSCE, warning that—with barely four months to go—students could not reasonably prepare for brand-new subjects.

However, the ERC said the Ministry’s December 6 response still “missed the crux of the matter”.

ICT vs Digital Technology: ERC Cites WAEC Circular

The group also faulted the Ministry’s defence that ICT had merely been renamed Digital Technology, pointing to a WAEC circular dated November 21, 2025, which clearly states that Digital Technologies will not be examined until 2028 because it requires new syllabus development.

“This contradicts the Ministry’s claim that students can sit for Digital Technology in 2026,” the ERC said.

Calls for Accountability

The group questioned why the Ministry’s November 25 online class schedule included subjects like Civic Education and Automobile Mechanics if they would not appear in the 2026 exam.

Describing the confusion as “preposterous for a body responsible for managing national education,” the ERC urged the government to “put its act together and deliver value for taxpayers’ money.”

While acknowledging the long-term goal of easing subject overload, the ERC insisted that enforcing the new curriculum in 2026 is “misguided, unjust, and harmful to current SSS 3 students.”

The group reaffirmed its demand that WAEC delay implementation until 2028, allowing the existing curriculum to run its full course through 2027.