JAMB procures special computers for visually impaired to take 2015 UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
(JAMB) says it has procured gadgets to facilitate
the participation of the visually impaired candidates
in its Computer Based Test (CBT) in March.
The Head, Media and Publicity of JAMB, Mr Fabian
Benjamin, made the disclosure in a statement
made available to pressmen on Thursday in Lagos.
According to the statement the development is to
ensure that no category of persons is left out
during the forthcoming 2015 Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination on the all CBT mode.
“The computers which are called Braillenote Apex
is procured to ensure that the visually impaired
candidates are all accommodated in the 2015 CBT.
“It will enable the visually impaired to read and
answer questions via voice or Braille, hence
making the examination all inclusive for all
categories of candidates,” it said.
The statement said the Registrar of the board, Prof.
Dibu Ojerinde, took delivery of the equipment. It
quoted him as saying that Braillenote Apex
reiterated the determination of the board to give all
categories of candidate equal chance, regardless of
their challenges.
The Braillenote Apex was acquired from an
international software giant, Humanware, which is
based in Europe. It said that Ojerinde pointed out
that the use of the Braillenote Apex was an
attestation to the fact that the CBT was achievable
by all categories of candidates irrespective of any
disability.
The statement noted that arrangements had been
put in place for the implementation of the CBT.n It
said the success story recorded in the previous
trials and challenges had put the board on a better
pedestal to fine-tune its strategy to an unquantified
success story.
The statement noted that Mr Pedro Polson, Chief
Executive Officer, Humanware, said that the device
was easy to use and had imminent advantages and
features. It said the device had the features that
would curb the incidence of examination
malpractice and make the visually impaired to take
CBT with minimal assistance.
The statement said Polson commended the
registrar for the giant stride he had taken in the
sector, particularly his desire not to discriminate
against any category of people desirous of tertiary
education.
It noted JAMB’s massive investment on the
visually impaired candidates and expressed
optimism that with the development, the Nigerian
education would be all inclusive. The statement
said that the board had demonstrated the required
capacity to be a leading examination body
globally.
It said that Polson also called on other
stakeholders in Nigeria to equally key into the
investment and buy the gadgets for their visually
impaired candidates and students. It added that the
functionality of the machine was demonstrated at
the South-West Resource Centre, an ICT Training
Institute.
More than 20 visually impaired candidates and
prospective candidates for the UTME were engaged
and trained during the pilot trials. “The
demonstration is on-going as the registrar has
directed the Psychometric Unit of the board to
proceed to Lagos, Enugu and Gindiri zones to
demonstrate the machine on the visually impaired
candidates for the 2015 UTME,” it said.