‎I made a post the other day about a candidate who had D7 in English Language in his WAEC result and was asking if he could still gain admission to study Nursing.

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‎I explained that the D7 in English Language could be a major problem because Nursing requires the appropriate O'level credit in English Language.

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‎After making the post, someone dropped a comment that caught my attention.

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‎He said:

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‎“Any candidate that wrote WAEC or NECO without his or her language subject is a big fool. In fact he or she is an academic pauper.”

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‎I asked him what he meant, and he explained that candidates should choose between Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba as their language subject.

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‎Now, I want to make something clear.

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‎There is nothing wrong with writing Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba in WAEC or NECO.

‎These are recognized subjects, and they may be relevant depending on the candidate's course and admission requirements.

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‎But my post was specifically about Nursing.

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‎So here is my question:

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‎For a candidate who wants to study Nursing, can Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba replace the required credit in English Language?

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‎If a candidate has:

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‎English Language — D7

‎Biology — A1

‎Chemistry — C5

‎Physics — B3

‎Mathematics — A1

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‎and the candidate has a good grade in Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa...

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‎Does that good grade in a Nigerian language remove the problem of having D7 in English Language for Nursing admission?

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‎This is where we need to understand the difference between having a good O'level result and meeting the specific O'level requirements for your chosen course.

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‎A subject can be important and still not be a substitute for another subject that your course specifically requires.

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‎So before telling candidates, “Just write Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba,” we need to ask:

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‎Is that actually the requirement for the course they want to study?

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‎Admission requirements are course-specific.

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‎What applies to one course may not apply to another.

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‎So, Nursing students and admission experts, I want to hear from you:

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‎Can Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba replace the required credit in English Language for a candidate seeking admission to study Nursing?

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‎Let's hear your arguments in the comments.

@ClarkDave