A Nigerian academic Dr Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi who is based in Canada wrote a letter to the University of Alberta requesting that Nigeria be excluded from countries that have to present proof of English test before admission.
His request was granted, so Nigerian applicants no longer need to write an English test.
Full waiver
Although the university of Alberta had previously recognized some Nigerian schools whose students do not need an English test, Dr Olumuyiwa’s request saw the school granting a full waiver.
It has become a normal practice of foreign schools to ask for proof of English proficiency from students whom English is not their first language.
The noble efforts of Dr Igbalajobi has done accolades from many Nigerians
Test not necessary
In a separate chat with Legit.ng, Dr Igbalajobi said the rule wasn’t necessary as English is Nigeria’s official language. He argued that Nigerian children are been taught in English language from the elementary school thereby making the demand unnecessary.
He said: “From my own lens of equality, diversity, and inclusion, this is just unfair. Nigeria is an English-speaking country and the mode of instruction from the elementary to the tertiary institutions is in English. Subjecting applicants to another round of English tests is annoying. The financial constraints have also prevented a lot of applicants from a shot to most of these universities.”
Dr Igbalajobi said he left Nigeria with just N16,000 in his bank account. After winning a scholarship from the Korean Government, he left Nigeria to start afresh abroad. He now lives in Canada where he works with the University of British Columbia.
Source: Legit.ng.