Blind candidates to take 2017 UTME via interactive mode

The Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, says potential blind candidates for UTME will write 2017 examination via interactive mode.

Speaking while addressing some blind candidates from the Bethesda Home for the Blind, at the board’s stakeholders’ meeting with CBT centre owners on Monday in Lagos, Oleyede said the prospective blind candidate will have their 2017 UTME exams by interactive mode because of the insufficient number of Note Apex Machine which was normally used by them.

He said: “This year, we are going to interact with you. We will not be using the Braille Note Apex.

”Once you fill the forms, we are going to group all of you nationwide into three zones, Lagos, Kano and Abuja and during the examination, experts will interact with you on the various subject.

“As a result of this development you will not be taking Mathematics in this year’s examination.

“The experts will have discussions with you, assess you on the various subjects (except Mathematics) and score you over 400 and then give us your scores,’’ he explained to the already excited blind candidates.

“We know it is going to cost the board a lot because we are bringing experts from diverse subject areas to interact with them for this 2017 examination only, but at the same time, very equitable as well as inclusive.”

Oloyede also noted that it is indispensable for the blind candidates to take the examination through this methode due to inadequate training they had in handling the Braille machines for the examination.

He futher added that it would be unfair to forcibly subject the impaired candidates to use the machines even when they had not been adequately trained on how to use them.

“As you know, they do not have the capacity to use these machines and exposing them to it just 24 to 48 hours before the examination does not reflect equity.

“Henceforth we will place emphasis on training all prospective blind candidates nationwide for about two weeks on the use of the Braille Note Apex machine before the commencement of our examinations.

“Before next year’s examination, all prospective blind candidates for UTME would have gone through residential training on the ticket of JAMB.

”We are not asking them to pay or do anything. They will pay the normal fees for the examination and then train them, whether they want to sit for UTME or not, as long as they are in their final year.

“This will make it easy for them to use the machines,’’ Oloyede explained.

He urged state governments to help the blind students in their respective states by acquiring the Braille Note Apex which will serve as an added advantage to their training.

The Registrar added that a centre would be made available in each of the states for the training and hence, the need to buoy up the state governments to procure the machines which costs about ₦1.5 million naira each.

He added: ”We have found out too that some of the blind candidates do not perform optimally in our examination because they are not properly exposed to the machines.

“That is the main reason why we want to suspend the use of the machine for this year’s examination and opt for the interactive mode.

“As soon as we get more of the machines, we will continue with the Braille note Apex CBT.”

He said the Digital Bridge Institute has assured the board that subsequently, it will acquire sufficient machines for the teaching these candidates before and during the examination.

Oloyede said only 20 of the machines are currently available for the board and that would not be enough to serve over 200 blind candidates nationwide that would be taking the examination in May.