ODL has come to stay in Nigeria; remains pathway to quality education - NOUN VC

The Vice-Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Femi Peters, has charged the university’s fresh graduates to uphold their passion and actions as the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode of education has come to stay.

He stated this during NOUN’s 12th Convocation Ceremony held on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at the university headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, which witnessed the graduation of 28,740 students.

The Vice-Chancellor, in his speech that also reeled out the achievements of his administration, added that“I challenge you to diligently apply yourself in whatever capacity you find yourself anywhere, with integrity as true ambassadors of NOUN.

“Though Open and Distance Learning (ODL) gives you freedom and flexibility of time to study, your passion and actions are what have made you to be a participant at today’s event. Without action, passion fizzles away and vision dies.”

Peters, while imploring the graduands to hold on to the vision borne out of circumstances that propelled them to enrol with NOUN, explained that studying at an ODL institution is one of the most difficult tasks to embark on, especially studying for a certification.

“ODL has come to stay in our country. It is indeed and in truth, a veritable pathway to achieving quality education, not just for people whose living circumstances do not allow them opportunities to attend conventional universities, but for all categories of knowledge seekers,” he said.

Speaking on the university’s reforms, Peters said that NOUN is already on a mission of delivering strategic reforms using technology.

“In continuation of our deliberate action to deploy technology for learning, I am happy to report that NOUN has moved with great speed and assured strides. Beyond being able to sustain the ownership of our information data and resources, we have improved on our course delivery strategies in definite ways.

“All our courses are basically delivered online within a robust Virtual Learning Environment. I am confident that by next convocation, I will be able to inform you that all our courses are now in video format, the VC told the large gathering of graduands, as well as the invited guests.

On accreditation and re-accreditation of academic programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC), Peters said that in 2022 the two academic programmes at postgraduate level (M.Sc. Public Administration and Master of Public Administration) the university presented to NUC have received full accreditation, while 26 out of 28 undergraduate programmes received full accreditation as the remaining two received interim accreditation.

Out of the total of 28,740 graduating students, 21,339 were undergraduates with six students earning First Class degrees, while 7, 401 made up the postgraduate category.

The speech also mentioned that 58 inmates across the Correctional Centres nationwide were among the overall figure of the graduands.