The Centre for Infrastructural and Technological Advancement for the Blind (CITAB) has warned that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) plan to deploy AI to improve access to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) could exclude visually impaired candidates.

The executive chairman of CITAB, Jolomi Fenemigho, said that without deliberate preparations focused on the needs of visually impaired learners, the initiative could remain an ambitious idea rather than a project.

He, however, described the planned integration of smart assessment tools into the UTME as a progressive move.

“AI-driven exams sound impressive, but for blind candidates, technology without preparation is a new barrier in a different disguise. When many blind students have never had consistent access to computers, assistive software, or trained instructors, we cannot pretend that simply announcing AI makes the process inclusive,” Mr Fenemigho said in a statement on Monday.