By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has promised to ensure that Nigerian students evacuated from war-torn Sudan are integrated into universities.

The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known in Abuja when the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, visited the board.

The visit was to discuss modalities for integrating the affected students into the country’s tertiary institutions.

Oloyede, who sympathised with the students, commended NIDCOM for the effective handling of their evacuation, promised that JAMB would provide the desired support to them.

He advised the students not to tread the path of those who returned to the country over a year ago as a result of Ukraine’s war.

The JAMB Registrar said the Ukraine returnees refused to comply with the stipulated procedures to continue their academic programmes in Nigeria.

“What we will do is that we will provide the necessary infrastructure, the necessary enablement to make you accommodate or return these students to our educational system,” Oloyede said.

“We must thank NIDCOM for making efforts that the students are brought into the Nigerian university system and we have given the Commission the process and procedure.

“There are procedures (for transfer of students), the transcript, the rules and regulations.

“Nobody should be under any illusion that Nigerian universities will award certificate with less than two years stay and residency in the university.

“The procedure is done legitimately and properly with the cooperation of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the individual institution.

“The guideline from JAMB has already been handed over to the chairperson of the commission,” Oloyede added.

He said that the students should follow the procedures for transfer to Nigerian universities.

“For instance, if you are studying Medicine and you are in your 600 level, and if the Medical and Dental Council assesses what you have done; practical is okay, they will just move you to year 5, that is 500 level.

“You will do 500 level and 600 level, and you will have the certificate of the institution in Nigeria,” he explained.

On her part, Dabiri-Erewa said 1,730 Nigerians had been evacuated from Sudan as of May 9, adding that majority of them were students eager to continue their education in Nigeria.

She assured that the necessary procedures would be followed to integrate the affected students into Nigerian schools.

“The key thing is that there are processes to follow but they are not difficult processes and that is what we learnt from JAMB.

“The institutions are already saying they want to give support, they want to admit them but the key thing is to follow the process as stipulated by JAMB.

“All the information are in our website, process to follow, it should not be difficult to follow.

“The key thing is that JAMB has assured that it will provide the enabling environment and infrastructure.

“If for instance a university admits you, after the admission, you need to get that letter from JAMB that says you have been admitted,” she said.

The NIDCOM chairman added that information would be made available for the students so as not to make mistakes in getting things done.

“I will also appeal to the students that there is a crisis, it is affecting them in one way or the other. How will this limit the impact or effect on them, whichever way, we must follow the process.

“Most of them are hoping that the war will be over and they will go back, but what if it is not? What is the stop gap? That is why we are doing this with JAMB,” she said.

One of the parents of the affected students, Asmau Yerima, commended NIDCOM and JAMB for ensuring that the students would not be abandoned at home doing nothing.

“Our children are ready to go back to school, we don’t want to keep them at home and we don’t want them to be traumatised,” Dabiri-Erewa said. (NAN)

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