By Temitope Ponle
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has assured Nigerian student evacuees from Sudan of the board’s arrangement to enable them complete their education in Nigerian Universities, if they so wish.
In a statement issued by Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NiDCOM, on Wednesday, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registar of JAMB, said this while receiving a delegation led by Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
Both parties held discussions on how the student returnees, who wish to complete their respective studies in Nigeria, could so do.
Oloyede expressed his readiness to work with the universities regulator, the National Universities Commission (NUC), to ensure a seamless transition for the completion of courses by the affected students.
The JAMB registrar, however, noted that in line with the Arusha/Addis Ababa Declaration, a university transfer student must spend at least two years in any university before certification.
He maintained that university admission was personal to individuals and each student could approach institutions of their choice, while JAMB would streamline the admission based on the laid down guidelines.
Oloyede listed some of the guidelines to include transcripts of examination records of previous years, filling of the uploaded forms, and ensuring that the university applied to had accreditation for the course, among others.
For those whose courses could be completed online, he said that National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) had provision for online courses.
“I advise both the students and parents to study the rules very well and comply, and ensure the admissions are properly ratified by JAMB, with the issuance of an admission letter from JAMB to the students concerned at any level, after they have been appropriately transferred to their universities of choice.”
He also used the opportunity to commend Dabiri-Erewa for being proactive at all times on issues affecting Nigerians abroad, describing the commission as a “good supplement“ to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier, the NiDCOM chairman said the commission was inundated with calls from parents and students expressing concerns on how they would complete their respective studies in Nigeria.
She said that the guidelines released by JAMB would, however, be made public and posted on NiDCOM websites and other social media handles of the commission.
She also expressed her appreciation to Oloyede and JAMB for being a strategic partner with NIDCOM.
Also speaking, Mr Abiodun Odunuga, Co-founder, Friends of Nigeria, Europe, a non-governmental organisation, said that he had received offers for scholarships for a number of the student returnees from Sudan at the American International University, The Gambia.
Odunuga said the scholarships received were for students with practical courses and who were willing to come to The Gambia.
He also said they were for students willing to participate in the Paris Graduate School for online courses, such as in Human Resources and Business Management courses.
One of the members of Parent Association of the student evacuees, Hajia Asmau Muhammad Yerima, appealed to the Federal Government to provide the necessary means for students to continue their studies in Nigeria, as part of the therapy for the trauma they went through.
Yerima thanked NiDCOM, JAMB and the federal government for their efforts since the crisis began in Sudan, and the kind gesture towards the students.
It would be recalled that the war that broke out in Sudan had disrupted the academic programmes of thousands of Nigerian students which led to evacuation of over 1,856 citizens back to the country. (NAN)
