A piece in africanarguments.org re-examines a startling inequality. Even though English is the official language of Nigeria, citizens must take the IELTS exam before they can study in the UK. As reported on the africanarguments.org website, a would-be Nigerian-born student who wanted to pursue an academic degree abroad was astonished to find she would have to pass an exam in the language she’d grown up speaking before she would be allowed to study in Britain.
Further, the exam costs some three times the average monthly wage of a Nigerian and the results are only valid for two years.
The UK’s Home Office stands by its requirement for IELTS, saying that for a country to be exempt from taking the exam, there must be evidence that at least 51% of the population speaking English.
Nigeria isn’t the only country advocating for the exam to be dropped for its citizens. Kenya and Malawi are also agitating for this change in status.
