- The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board has announced the total number of visually impaired candidates taking the exam nationwide this year
- The board revealed that a total of 577 special students will be sitting for the examination across the country
- Chairman of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Equal Opportunity Group, Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, stated that special provisions have been made for these students
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board has announced that a total of 577 blind students will be sitting for the examination starting today, Friday, April 19, across the nation.
The examination will continue until April 27, and the board has assured that special provisions have been made nationwide to accommodate visually impaired candidates.
Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, Chairman of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), disclosed this information while addressing journalists on Thursday regarding the board's arrangements for blind and other candidates with special needs.
The JEOG, established by JAMB registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede in 2017, serves as a commendable initiative to address the concerns of candidates with special needs.
Okebukola said, “This year and for the first time, JAMB, through JEOG, will implement the bimodal system of UTME administration. This involves Fully-Braille and Fully Read-Aloud. Candidates have a choice of mode. JEOG has been resourced by JAMB to make the experience of the two modes of test administration pleasant for the candidates"
He then went on to give a timeline of how many students of special natures that had seated for the exam over the years, saying:
“With a total of 577 blind candidates, the 2024 UTME presents the highest number. We had 348 in 2022, and 313 in 2023. The 2024 increase is largely due to increased advocacy by JEOG, a process which will be bolstered in the coming years.”
Last year, the Vanguard reported that blind students outperformed students who are not visually impaired after the board decided to exclude diagrams from their questions.
Why we banned calculators, pen, others, JAMB opens up
Earlier, Legit.ng had reported that the board had given the reasons they were compelled to prohibit the use of calculators and other exam materials.
JAMB had banned a total of 15 items and had warned candidates from coming with them to the exam hall.
.. Source: Legit.ng
