The Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, has appealed to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to consider the university’s unique operational structure and nationwide mandate in the design of future intervention programmes.
Professor Uduma made the appeal when members of the TETFund Board of Trustees (BoT), led by its member representing the North-Central Zone, Dr. Hassan Abdulrahman Ocholi, paid a familiarisation visit to the university’s headquarters in Abuja.
The visit was part of the Board’s engagement with beneficiary institutions in the North-Central Zone to assess the impact of TETFund interventions and identify areas requiring further support.
The Vice-Chancellor said NOUN’s Open and Distance Learning (ODL) model and extensive national reach distinguished it from conventional tertiary institutions.
He noted that the university operates more than 120 study centres across the country and currently provides free educational opportunities to more than 500 inmates through its prison scholarship initiative.
According to him, providing infrastructure and learner-support services for more than 150,000 active students nationwide requires a funding framework that adequately reflects the university’s peculiar needs.
“NOUN was established to break barriers to education and provide quality, affordable tertiary education to Nigerians wherever they may be through the Open and Distance Learning system,” he said.
Professor Uduma called for a review of the TETFund intervention template as it applies to NOUN, while commending the Fund for its sustained support and significant contributions to the development of tertiary education in Nigeria.
He said the impact of TETFund interventions was evident across NOUN’s study centres nationwide, particularly in the improvement of learning infrastructure and support for the university’s efforts to expand access to higher education.
The Vice-Chancellor expressed confidence that greater recognition of NOUN’s distinctive mandate would strengthen its capacity to provide inclusive, accessible and technology-driven education to Nigerians across the country.
Earlier, Dr. Ocholi said the visit was aimed at assessing the impact of TETFund interventions, engaging with beneficiary institutions and identifying areas where additional support was required.
“The purpose of this visit is not merely ceremonial. We are here to see firsthand the impact of TETFund interventions, engage with institutional leadership, listen to the challenges they face and better understand how our collective efforts can further strengthen tertiary education in Nigeria,” he said.
Dr. Ocholi said TETFund interventions had contributed significantly to the transformation of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector through improved infrastructure, enhanced learning environments, staff development opportunities, and support for research and innovation.
He, however, acknowledged that more remained to be done, disclosing that the Board was currently prioritising the recovery of distressed projects that had experienced delays, financial difficulties or other implementation challenges.
“Our priority is to identify these projects, understand the underlying issues and take practical steps to support their recovery, completion and delivery for the intended benefits. TETFund does not encourage abandoned projects; every project must be completed within its lifecycle,” he said.
The TETFund BoT member assured NOUN of equitable distribution of high-impact projects and zonal interventions, guided by areas of greatest need and potential impact.
He added that the Fund remained committed to accountability, transparency, quality and sustainability in the implementation of its projects and programmes.
As part of the visit, Professor Uduma, accompanied by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Technology, Innovation and Research), and other members of the university’s management team, led the TETFund delegation on an inspection tour of ongoing and completed intervention projects at the institution.
- Log in to post comments
- 53 views
