The Federal Government has directed tertiary institutions in Nigeria to admit persons with disabilities (PWDs) who meet the minimum Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scores for their chosen programmes, exempting them from the standard post-UTME requirement.
Yusuf Sununu, the minister of State for Education, confirmed the directive at the First Africa Regional Conference on Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education (ARCEAHED), organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Tuesday in Abuja.
He noted that the initiative, together with the ambitious enrolment target of 825,000 students with disabilities cumulatively over the next five years, demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to equal access to education.
Sununu said it was important to integrate assistive technologies and create economic opportunities tailored to PWDs’ skills and qualifications.
“For persons with disabilities, the impediments to education are not only compounded by general societal stigmas but also by physical limitations and institutional challenges. But as we have seen in various contexts, when these barriers are removed and the right conditions are created, the potential within every individual blossom.
“Equal opportunity is a journey and never a destination. It is the collective responsibility of governments, academic institutions, the private sector, and civil society to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind.”
Is-haq Oluyede, registrar of JAMB, called on the Federal Government to establish a dedicated centre in all six geopolitical zones to support persons with disabilities to address the challenges they face in accessing higher education.
Oluyede proposed that the centre be attached to the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities and be equipped with state-of-the-art assistive technology to enhance educational access and inclusivity, making sure that no candidate is left behind due to their condition.
“Education remains the cornerstone of self-actualisation, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every individual, regardless of ability, has access to higher education,
“A realistic theory is the most practical way forward, I call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to establish and attach to the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities a centre for supporting services for persons with disabilities.
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