The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has waived Post UTME Screening for People With Disabilities (PWDs) seeking admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu stated this on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 during the First Africa Regional Conference on Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education (ARCEAHED) in Abuja.
Sununu assured that, Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would continue to promote inclusivity in the education sector.
He noted that a key reform that is already yielding positive results was the waiver of application fees for the UTME for PWDs during the registration process, as outlined in the Nigerian Education Sector Roadmap launched in 2023.
“I am aware that this policy has significantiy increased the number of PWDs who participated in the 2024 UTME.
“JAMB also sought and obtained approval at the 67th National Council on Education meeting to exempt candidates with disabilities from Post/UTME Screening. I, therefore, reiterate, as already announced, that all tertiary institutions in Nigeria are to offer admissions to all candidates with disabilities who possess minimum admissible scores into the programmes of their choice after writing UTME.
“This initiative, together with the ambitious target to enroll 825,000 students with disabilities cumulatively over the next five years, demonstrates Our unwavering commitment to realizing equal access to education”, he said.
The Minister added that, for persons with disabilities, the impediments to education were not only compounded by general societal stigmas but also by physical limitations and institutional challenges.
“But as we have seen in various contexts, when these barriers are removed and the right conditions are created, the potential within every individual blossoms. The brilliance, creativity and resilience demonstrated by persons with disabilities enrich our educational institutions and more broadly, our economies”, Sununu said.
On his part, Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede informed that the inaugural Africa Regional Conference on Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education (ARCEAHED) presents a significant opportunity for JAMB and various stakeholders within the education sector to gather vital insights on advancing inclusive education.
“Education remains the cornerstone of self-actualisation, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every individual, regardless of his/her ability, has access to higher education. For this reason, JAMB is dedicated to fostering fora that facilitate discussions on innovative strategies to enhance educational opportunities for all citizens, particularly those with disabilities”, he said.
Oloyede further advised Nigeria to consider the adoption of Nigerian Sign Language (NSL) as the second national official language. This, he said would be a major demonstration of empathy for the large number of fellow compatriots with hearing impairments.
