The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board JAMB has announced that a total of 92 visually impaired candidates has participated in the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) at the Kano special needs centre.
The JAMB Coordinator for the Kano centre, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza-Bello, disclosed this while speaking to journalists after monitoring the exam on Monday. The exercise took place at the School of Continuing Education, Bayero University Kano (BUK), under the supervision of the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), an initiative dedicated to candidates with special needs.
Yahuza-Bello, a former Vice Chancellor of BUK, explained that the 92 candidates were drawn from Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna states. Among them, two candidates have Down syndrome and two others are autistic.
To support their participation, candidates received assistive tools such as braille machines, typewriters, slates, styluses, and other necessary materials. Trained personnel were also deployed to provide reading and writing assistance (amanuensis services) for those who required it.
According to the coordinator, more than 500 candidates with disabilities—including visual impairment, albinism, Down syndrome, and autism—are sitting for the UTME in 11 special centres across the country.
“This initiative, introduced by JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede in 2017, is aimed at ensuring equal educational access for all, regardless of physical or cognitive challenges,” he said.
He noted that unlike regular candidates who use computer-based testing (CBT) systems, many special needs candidates require alternative formats and support systems to navigate the examination process effectively.
Prof. Yahuza-Bello emphasized that the quality and standards of the exams remain the same for all candidates, whether taken at CBT centres or special needs locations. He also shared that the success rate among special needs candidates has been encouraging, with over 33% securing admission to tertiary institutions—compared to around 25% among regular candidates.
He expressed appreciation to BUK and other supporting institutions for their continued assistance and provision of admission slots for special needs candidates. He also highlighted JAMB’s provision of free accommodation, feeding, and transport stipends for all special candidates during the examination period.
A highlight of the event was the presentation of Khadija, a former special needs candidate from the Kano centre who scored over 240 in her UTME and is now a final-year student of BSc Dietetics and Nutrition at BUK. She encouraged current candidates to stay focused and make the most of the opportunities before them.
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