No fewer than 24 candidates with disabilities on Monday sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) examination in Ekiti State.

The Coordinator of the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) in Ekiti State, Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, who disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti, the state’s capital, said that the exam body also provides, free accommodation, feeding among others for the candidates

Speaking at the Ekiti State University( EKSU), Ado-Ekiti centre, Prof Aderinoye said that the initiative brought up by the Registrer of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede started 10 years ago.

“Prof Oloyede thought that everybody must be carried along, which is why he ensured that both the able and disabled were involved.

“The essence is to ensure that children that are disabled either in form of blindness, ear impairment, and other areas that we have to take care of them. Even people who are amputated and cannot write, people will have to sit by him or her to write for them.

“So the essence is to create more opportunity, access to higher education for the people that has the disadvantaged unlike the able candidates.

“What JAMB has done to ensure free registration  for those that have five papers at the registration point, and when it comes to the exam, for them, there will be free accommodation in any hotel around the city of the center. Then free feeding, the food for them is provided by JAMB.

“Again, transport from their village or from their town to the city is subsidized for both the candidates and their guide.”

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of EKSU, Professor Joseph Babatola Ayodele, thanked the federal government and JAMB for the equal opportunity extended to the disadvantaged candidates through JEOG and congratulated them for making themselves available by grabbing the opportunity.

The Vice Chancellor who was represented by Professor Michael Olufemi Oke, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Development, expressed delight at the free accommodation and feeding provided by the government.

“And I’m very much impressed about what I heard the government doing for them, about free accommodation, free feeding, that is why the university also complements that one by giving them free transportation and free hall.

“So we have adequate facilities for them. So as many candidates as we have that are interested in doing their examinations, we have the facilities.

“This programme gives us the impetus that there is ability in disability, that if we give equal opportunity to everybody in education,” said the VC.