A major point of contention has emerged among students, parents, and education stakeholders regarding a sudden rule at the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, Lagos, which now restricts students to taking only one trade subject.
The school authorities recently announced that, for the upcoming 2025/2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has mandated that Catering Craft Practice will be the sole approved trade subject available for registration by the current SS3 students.
This announcement, made with only six months remaining until the WASSCE, has created widespread worry and distress. Parents are concerned that this abrupt policy shift jeopardizes their children’s academic plans.
During a meeting between parents and school authorities on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, parents were given this new information. An emotional parent, Mr. Ben Oleander, protested, questioning the fairness of forcing students to abandon the subjects they have studied for nearly two years to quickly learn a new one just before their final exams. He warned that this “policy somersault” could result in mass failure, with students “heavily bear[ing] the brunt.”
This change is particularly disruptive because FSTC Yaba previously offered more than 20 WAEC-approved trade subjects, such as Electrical Installation, Computer Craft, Data Processing, and Garment Making, which are central to the college’s vocational curriculum.
Although school officials claim the new directive originates from higher education authorities and is mandatory, parents are calling it ill-timed, unfair, and damaging to education. Another parent, Mr. Johnson Onukwube, lamented that the decision is “impractical but deeply demoralising” as it “disrupts two years of hard work, time, and resources.”
Mrs. Adeniyi Grace argued that the policy makes no sense and undermines the school’s core mission, stating that the extensive choice of trade subjects was the main reason many parents enrolled their children. She highlighted that practical skills acquired from subjects like Electrical Installation or Data Processing often allow students to earn a living before and during higher education, a benefit that will be lost with the restriction.
Experts believe that limiting students to just Catering Craft Practice goes against the very goal of technical education, which is to expose them to diverse skills and career options. An anonymous teacher pointed out that forcing all students into catering, regardless of their talents in areas like ICT or electrical work, “makes no educational sense.” Concerns were also raised about the lack of qualified teachers, materials, and sufficient preparation time for the new subject.
Concerned parents have sent a letter to the Minister of Education, appealing to the Federal Ministry of Education and WAEC to suspend the policy for the current SS3 and SS2 students, allowing them to complete their studies under the original structure. They emphasized that while they support reforms, such changes should be implemented gradually to avoid harming students already advanced in their education.
As the 2026 WASSCE approaches, education observers warn that this controversy underscores the conflict between reform intentions and practical readiness, suggesting that policy changes must involve proper timing, infrastructure, and stakeholder consultation to avoid negatively impacting learning outcomes.
The students at FSTC Yaba now face an uncertain future, hoping the Federal Government will intervene to allow them to pursue the subjects they initially chose.
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