The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has made some adjustments for the upcoming 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for candidates with disabilities. In a virtual meeting with the nation’s Commissioners of Education held in Abuja, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, revealed that the test items for candidates with disabilities will no longer include diagrams, illustrations, and maps.
Addressing the concern specifically for blind candidates, Prof. Oloyede emphasized that the Board aims to ensure that questions without visual elements maintain the same level of difficulty as other test items. This strategic move is designed to create a more equitable testing environment for all candidates, aligning with the inclusive principles advocated by JAMB.
During the meeting, the Registrar also took the opportunity to shed light on broader issues regarding the registration and examination procedures for candidates with various forms of disabilities beyond blindness and deafness. He assured participants that JAMB is actively addressing these concerns, emphasizing the importance of special provisions to prevent any form of disadvantage based on a candidate’s disability.
The decision to exclude visual elements from certain test items stems from the resolutions reached at the recently concluded conference titled “National Conference on Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education in Nigeria,” organized by JAMB. This moves underscores JAMB’s commitment to fostering equal opportunities for all candidates, regardless of their unique circumstances, in the pursuit of higher education.