JAMB releases N28.8m to acquire computer systems for Ikoyi, Kaduna prisons

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has provided N28.8 million for the purchase of computer systems for the Kaduna and Ikoyi Prisons to assist inmates willing to sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Registrar and chief executive of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, who made this known in Abuja, said this was done as part of the Corporate Social Responsibilities of the board.

He noted that N10. 8million was provided to Ikoyi Prisons for the purchase of 60 computer systems, while N18 million was provided to Kaduna Prisons for the purchase of 100 computer systems.

About 59 inmates of the Ikoyi Prisons, Lagos, sat the 2017 UTME, an improvement over the 32 that sat the examination in 2016.

With the provision of facilities for the Computer-Based Centres in Kaduna and Ikoyi, more candidates will be accommodated in the 2018 examination.

Oloyede commended the former executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola, and his team in the Equal Opportunities Group which handled the 2017 examination for the blind candidates and prison candidates.

He added that the board would still work with the Digital Bridge Institute on the setup of dedicated centres for the blind candidates using the CBT mode delivery.

The JAMB registrar said the Equal Opportunities Group would be required to continue to work with tertiary institutions with facilities to handle the blind candidates.

He said the development underscored the desire of the current administration to provide inclusive education, taking into account the special needs people and inmates who are expected to reunite with the society after the correctional period.