ENUGU ( Sundiata Post ) – The JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) has called for intensive awareness to encourage People With Disabilities (PWD) to participate in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Coordinator of the UTME Enugu Special Centre, Prof. Mosto Onuoha, made the call in Enugu during the conduct of the UTME for PWDs from the South East geopolitical zone on Tuesday.
Onuoha explained that JAMB introduced the visually-impaired UTME programme to give people with special needs equal opportunity to achieve their dreams of going to higher institutions.
Onuoha, who is a former Deputy Vice Chancellor, UNN, and former President of Nigeria Academy of Science, said: “What is important is that JAMB recognises that people should have opportunities especially the physically challenged.
“This is a different kind of examination because they cannot do Computer-Based Test (CBT).
“We read the questions aloud for them and they pick answer options. They provide the answers. The only difference is that we extend their time for them”.
Another member of the JEOG Committee and Provost, Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu, Ebonyi State, Prof. Okey Okechukwu, disclosed that in order to encourage and motivate the candidates, JAMB took care of their transportation, feeding and accommodation.
“For the past three days, the special needs candidates and their guides have been taken care of free-of-charge. They will depart to their various states on Wednesday,” Okechukwu said.
He used the opportunity to call on states and local governments in the South-East and South-South, as well as traditional rulers to create awareness among people with disabilities to enable them access services of the JAMB.
According to him, with adequate awareness especially to parents of disabled persons, more candidates will be motivated to sit for the JAMB examinations.
A visually impaired candidate, Mr Obinna Eze, appreciated the special opportunity and treatment JAMB management gave to all physically challenged especially the visually-impaired to write the examination.
Eze noted that the JEOG committee members treated them with special care and gave due attention to their needs before and during the examination.
reports that 61 visually-impaired candidates sat for the 2024 UTME 2024 organised by the JAMB in Enugu Special Centre.
The visually-impaired and other special candidates are part of the 577 others writing the examination nationwide.
The examination held at the Law Faculty of the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), had candidates drawn from nine states of South-East and South-South regions.
They are Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo as well as Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States.
The candidates were writing with all sorts of writing aides, such as brailles, typewriters, stylos while some others wrote with pens. (NÀN)