JAMB to grant albinos concessionary exam time

Posted by admin Headlines Monday, March 19th, 2012

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved an additional time of two hours for albinos in the conduct of its future Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTMEs).

Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Professor ‘Dibu Ojerinde, said the board would henceforth classify albinos as virtually impaired persons, hence the need for all examination bodies to do whatever they could to help this group of persons.

A statement by the JAMB Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Timothy Oyedeji, in Abuja, on Sunday, added that Professor Ojerinde said this while briefing officials of the board on the preparation for the forthcoming 2012 UTME.

Ojerinde said the decision was informed by the peculiar sight problem associated with albinism, saying, “for us in JAMB, we are trailing the blaze by incorporating the eye problem of the group into our examination planning.”

He further said that JAMB was determined to provide level-playing feild for all albinos desirous of tertiary education by also providing them with magnifying lenses to help them to see clearly during the examinations.

While calling on other examination bodies in Nigeria and on the continent to do same, the JAMB registrar added that most Nigerians were ignorant of the peculiar problems, especially sight challenges associated with albinism.

Responding, the Albino’s Foundation’s helmsman, Jake Epelle, said that the visit of the foundation would surely translate to seeing more albinos registering and passing future UTMEs.

He commended JAMB for far-reaching innovations, most especially its decision to officially categorise and treat albinos as the visually impaired.

-Tribunewp_posts