Incredible: 90 blind candidates participate in the 2023 UTME in Kano

By Miracle Esegha, Warri

Nigerians were taken by surprise as Ninety (90) candidates who are visually impaired on Thursday sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Kano.

It was learned the exercise was conducted at the Bayero University Kano (BUK) Centre, under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG).
JEOG is a programme designed to provide the opportunity to people living with disabilities, particularly blindness, to write the examination free of charge.

The visually impaired candidates, both male and female, were given different gadgets such as braille machines, typewriters, and braille paper to ease the processes of the examination.

JAMB coordinator for Kano Centre, Prof. Yahuza Bello made this disclosure while monitoring the exercise at the School of Continuing Education, BUK.
According to him, a total of 337 candidates living with blindness registered to participate in the examination in 11 centres across the nation.

“This effort is in furtherance of Prof. Oleyede-led JAMB, to ensure that no eligible Nigerian is denied the opportunity of taking the UTME and acquiring higher education regardless of disability.
“Since inception in 2017, the JEOG has processed over 3,300 candidates for the UTME, with more than a third admitted to courses of their choice in higher education institutions in Nigeria,” Bello stated.