Over 500 Visually Impaired Candidates To Participate In 2025 UTME
•By Admin
ABUJA – Over 500 visually impaired candidates are set to participate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) across 11 centres in Nigeria.
This announcement was made by Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, the Chairman of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), during a press briefing about preparations for the exam for blind candidates and others with special needs.
Professor Okebukola, who was appointed as the chairman of the JEOG when it was established in 2017 by the JAMB Registrar, Professor Oloyede, emphasized the group’s responsibility in ensuring that candidates with special needs, especially blind candidates, have a seamless examination process.
In total, 501 blind candidates have registered for the 2025 UTME, which will be held on April 28 and 29, 2025, at 11 designated centres nationwide. The examination will cover 20 subjects, with blind candidates sitting for the same test papers as their sighted counterparts, without any reduction in the standards.
Professor Okebukola, who is also the President of the Global University Network for Innovation in Africa (GUNi-Africa), praised Professor Oloyede for being a key advocate for equal access to higher education for special needs candidates, particularly in Africa.
RELATED POSTS
N/Assembly Queries N1.1bn Meal Expenditure, Threatens To Halt Federal Grant To JAMB In 2025 Budget
N/Assembly Queries N1.1bn Meal Expenditure, Threatens To Halt Federal Grant To JAMB In 2025 Budget
JAMB Halts Admission Into Law Programme For Eight Varsities Over Violations
Okebukola noted that many African countries agree that Nigeria, under Oloyede’s leadership, stands out in its efforts to support blind candidates aspiring for higher education.
As part of the initiative, 84 blind candidates who have met the basic eligibility criteria for university admission (with at least five O-level credits) will have their UTME registration fees refunded on-site during the exam. Furthermore, the candidates will benefit from a range of additional services, including free accommodation for themselves and their guides, free Braille slates and styluses, customized t-shirts, free meals during the examination period, and transport allowances.
“These gestures from JAMB and Professor Oloyede are unparalleled in Africa,” Okebukola added.
For the second consecutive year, JAMB will implement the bimodal system of examination administration. This system offers candidates the choice of two modes: Fully Braille and Fully Read-Aloud. JEOG has ensured that the experience for candidates using either mode will be comfortable and supportive.
Recall that in 2024, around 70% of candidates from JEOG, including blind and albino candidates, were successfully admitted into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. These candidates gained admission into various courses such as law, special education, medicine, pharmacy, computer science, nursing, civil engineering, and business administration.
The distribution of candidates across the 11 centres is as follows: Lagos with 107 candidates (coordinated by Professor Olanrewaju Adigun Fagbohun, former Vice-Chancellor of LASU), Kano with 91 candidates (Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello, former Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University), Abuja with 41, Ado-Ekiti with 32 (Professor Rasheed Aderinoye), Bauchi with 37 (Professor Ibrahim Yusuf), Benin with 18 (Professor Samuel G. Odewumi), Enugu with 50 (Professor Emeritus Mosto Onuoha), Kebbi with 14 (Professor Asabe Kabir), Oyo with 69 (Professor Taoheed Adedoja), Jos with 28 (Professor Nasiru Maiturare), and Yola with 16 (Professor Muhammad Yakasai).
The participating institutions offering admissions to the JEOG candidates include notable universities and polytechnics such as the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Federal Polytechnic Oko, and several others.
•INDEPENDENTNG.