A researcher at the University of British Columbia who hails from Efon-Alaye, Ekiti State, Nigeria says students from Nigeria and other African countries should not be asked to take English proficiency tests to get into universities such as UPEI.
Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi said on Twitter “The system is unfair, since English is the official language of Nigeria, and all education is taught in English, Why are Nigerians required to still write English Proficiency Tests to get admitted into Universities abroad?”.
Igbalajobi is a post-doctoral researcher currently employed by UBC, who has studied in several different countries around the world.
He was never asked to do an English proficiency test but he said it’s a frustrating requirement for many students who have spent their whole education studying in English. He has since 2022 written to numerous universities, including UPEI, asking them to change their policies requiring language tests.
If you talk about inclusion, make it real, do not make it a smoke screen,” said Igbalajobi.
Igbalajobi said it doesn’t make sense to have the requirement, and the tests are expensive — costing around $300 — preventing some students from being able to study abroad.
“They do not have a shot at quality education if they cannot afford this test,” said Igbalajobi.
Igbalajobi said many Nigerian Universities are missing from that list, and some of the names of institutions are incorrect.
“Who invented the list itself? There are 160 or greater universities in Nigeria, you don’t tell me only 35 universities are recognized so it’s a double standard, it’s biased,” he said.
Igbalajobi said it’s unacceptable and likely just an oversight that has just continued on for decades. He plans to continue emailing various university offices asking them to change their policies.