The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, has said the English proficiency test imposed on many seekers of academic and other types of opportunities in the United Kingdom (UK) confers more advantage on Nigerians than citizens of other nations required to take such tests.

Ms Laing, who spoke in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, noted that records have shown that Nigerians do well in the tests.

“…As far as I am concerned, it is actually an asset and an advantage to Nigerians compared to many others,” she said.

Ms Laing added that she does not think that the test constitutes any problem for Nigerians, saying they “actually do well in the English proficiency test.”

“So, it is actually an advantage for Nigerians who can pass much more easily than a lot of other people can,” she added.

Controversy
Nigerians have recently debated whether Nigerians should take the English proficiency tests, particularly the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) required for migration to many countries in the global north including the UK.

A key argument by groups advocating against the test is that Nigeria as a former British colony and Engish-speaking country should not be required to take it.

The price of the test has also been described as a ripoff.

The cost of the test, which currently stands between N80,000 and N90,000 in Nigeria, is almost three times the country’s minimum wage of N30,000.

The British High Commission in Nigeria had earlier in the year told this newspaper that individual test providers were responsible for fixing test prices. It, however, added that “UK Visas and Immigration stipulate that the fees the providers charge our customers must be comparable to the fees they charge others for the same or similar English language tests.”

Apart from its high cost, the test is only valid for two years and can only be taken in 12 cities across the country.

Clarifications
The Home Office, however, earlier explained that Bachelor’s Degree holders or its equivalent will not need to take a Secure English Language Test (SELT) if it is verified by UK Ecctis and that the degrees “meet, or exceed the recognised standard of a UK bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degrees”.

According to Ms Laing, “English is the official language of many countries around the world but we have to set a clear uniform standard. It is standard practice across the globe so we could not give particular special treatment to anyone.”

However, in 2020, the UK Home office, which is said to be primarily in charge of the test, told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that it did not have evidence that the majority of Nigerians speak English as a first language.

“We do not have the required evidence that shows the majority of people in Nigeria speak English as their first language,” it wrote in a reply to the BBC’s enquiry.

It added: “We must have evidence that at least 51 per cent of the population speaks English as a first language for a country to be included in the Majority English Speaking Country list.”

Nigerians, others kick
A Nigerian youth group, Policy Shapers, initiated an online petition on Change.org, asking why none of the over 20 anglophone countries in Africa is on the list of countries exempted from taking the test.

Nigerians are not alone as other former British colonies are also asking for an exemption. Citizens of Ghana, Cameroon and Malawi have consistently made similar calls.

Ghana’s second deputy speaker of parliament, Andrew Asiamah, in February, mandated the parliament’s Education and Foreign Affairs Committee to look into the IELTS policy as it relates to Ghanaians.

His directive was a sequel to a statement by a fellow lawmaker, who expressed the view that the test was being used as a source of revenue for the UK government.

The lawmakers, like Nigerians, had argued that Ghana is a Commonwealth nation and English is the official language of the state and the language of instruction in Ghanaian Schools.

Meanwhile, in Malawi, over 7,300 Malawians signed a petition asking the UK government to exempt them from taking the test before they can be accepted for studies in the UK.

Meanwhile, some countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, and Jamaica are exempted from taking such tests.

Other countries exempted include Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America and Canada.

PREMIUM TIMES will in the coming days publish the full excerpts of the interview where Ms Laing also responded to other issues.