The Federal Government, through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has sponsored 37 visually-impaired candidates to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bauchi State.
Speaking at the special examination centre in Bauchi on Tuesday, Professor Hadiza Bazza, Deputy Coordinator of the UTME Centre for the Blind (University of Maiduguri), said the initiative is part of the government’s commitment to ensuring equal access to education for persons with disabilities.
The beneficiaries were selected from four northeastern states: Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe.
Bazza explained that the programme, known as the Equal Opportunity Group, was introduced by JAMB in 2017 under the leadership of its Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede. It provides full support for visually-impaired and physically-challenged candidates, covering transportation, accommodation, feeding, and other logistics.
“The JAMB Registrar believes that with the right support, persons with disabilities—especially the blind—can excel academically instead of being relegated to the streets,” Bazza noted.
She emphasized that the UTME is completely free for blind candidates, adding that many Nigerian universities have inclusive faculties capable of supporting their academic journey.
However, Bazza raised concerns about poor awareness at the grassroots, urging parents and community leaders to do more in encouraging people with disabilities to pursue education.
Bauchi State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Lawal Mohammed, lauded the programme and encouraged parents to support their children’s ambitions, regardless of physical challenges.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Usman Shehu, expressed concern over low enrollment despite investments in education. He pledged that the state government would launch an awareness campaign to promote inclusive education and increase school attendance among children with disabilities.
“Being disabled doesn’t mean being uneducable,” Shehu said. “With proper awareness, we can change this narrative.”
