A renowned university in the United States have now excluded Nigeria from its list of countries that require IELTS before gaining admission into the institution.
Cornell University, New York, USA, has waived the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Test of English As a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for Nigerians seeking masters admission into the school.
After an update to its English language requirement list for graduates, the university included Nigeria as an English-speaking country.
Nigeria is listed as an English-speaking country by the world Fact book, a website which the Cornell University referenced in its own website.
Previously the school insisted Nigerian students must also present an English test before admission into its graduate school.
This victory has been achieved as a result of a continuous advocacy by Dr Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi for Nigeria to be removed from countries where IELTS is required before its citizens gain admission into western universities.
Dr Olumuyiwa argued that Nigeria, a former colony of the United Kingdom, with English as it’s official Lingua Franca, is by default an English speaking country and has no business writing English tests like IELTS and TOEFL.
He condemned the act as racist and educational disenfranchisement.
His advocacy has led to some universities in Canada, United Kingdom and the United States to scrap the IELTS requirement for Nigerians.
LEADINGREPORTERS wrote a detailed article about how Dr Olumuyiwa is fighting the IELTS discrimination for Nigerians and indeed all west African countries in general.