By Jane Salihu
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has renewed its commitment to inclusive higher education, pledging to leverage artificial intelligence, innovation, and strategic partnerships to improve access for persons with disabilities.
The commitment was the focus of the National Stakeholders’ Engagement on Inclusive Higher Education and Artificial Intelligence, held Wednesday by the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) at the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede said the Board remains determined to ensure that disability is never a barrier to quality higher education in Nigeria.
He explained that JEOG was established about a decade ago as one of several specialised committees created to strengthen the Board’s operations and provide dedicated support for candidates with special needs.
He said the anniversary offered an opportunity to review the group’s achievements, identify existing gaps, and chart a new direction for advancing inclusive education.
“Ten years ago, we decided to look for people who are competent beyond doubt to handle each of our major tasks. This engagement is to review what we have done, identify what more can be done, and ensure that we move to the next stage,” Oloyede said.
He added that AI presents a new opportunity to improve access, learning, and inclusion for persons with disabilities, and that JAMB would continue working with stakeholders to ensure the technology promotes equal opportunity in higher education.
Also speaking, NUC Executive Secretary Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu — represented by the Director of Research, Innovation and Information Technology, Dr. Lawal Faruk — said universities must embrace AI while ensuring no learner is left behind. He noted that the Commission has embedded inclusion into its ongoing reforms through the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), while promoting digital literacy and innovation across Nigerian universities.
Speaking with journalists after the event, JEOG Chairman Prof. Peter Okebukola said the engagement was organised to review a decade of the group’s operations and explore how AI could further advance inclusive higher education in Nigeria. He disclosed that 4,216 candidates with disabilities — including those with visual impairment, autism, Down syndrome, and albinism have benefitted from the initiative since its establishment.
He said the candidates sat the same Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as every other applicant, with no reduction in academic standards, and that about 53 per cent secure admission annually into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Okebukola added that AI should be deliberately designed to eliminate barriers for persons with disabilities rather than inadvertently exclude them from educational opportunities.
A highlight of the event was the unveiling of A Peep into the Future of Higher Education in Nigeria, a book edited by Okebukola in honour of outgoing JAMB Registrar Oloyede.
He said the publication features contributions from 44 scholars selected from nearly 700 submissions, offering practical recommendations for repositioning Nigeria’s higher education system over the next decade.
A second book, Early Start, Great Finish: Survival and Success Manual for Underage Nigerian University Students, also authored by Okebukola, was unveiled at the event.
He said the manual was developed after extensive consultations with education experts and underage students to guide parents, lecturers, and university administrators in supporting exceptionally young undergraduates.
The event also featured awards for tertiary institutions promoting disability inclusion, recognition of outstanding candidates with disabilities in the UTME, and honours for individuals who have made significant contributions to inclusive education in Nigeria.
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