Posted by By Fred Iwenjora on
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has been described as the only way to spread education to all and sundry with emphasis on the disadvantaged, marginalised, under represented and the underprivileged in our society.
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has been described as the only way to spread education to all and sundry with emphasis on the disadvantaged, marginalised, under represented and the underprivileged in our society.
Speaking to the press immediately after hosting the UNESCO President, Prof. Omolewa, who visited the NOUN headquarters in Lagos, Professor Olugbemiro Jegede, the Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, said that with the coming on stream of the University, women, girls and children, unemployed youths, socially disenfranchised people, nomads and fishermen and full time workers can now gain education at their convenience.
According to Professor Jegede, research has shown that formal education system cannot cope with the admission requests of these disadvantaged Nigerians since only about 16% of applicants are admitted into Nigerian universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria yearly. "At the National Open University", says Prof. Jegede, "we employ the use of modern techniques to provide functional education to those who otherwise would not have been privileged to have education. This does not mean that we are different.
We are modeled in the same way as normal universities but with a network of study centres scattered all over the six geopolitical zones of the country. For practicals, we liaise with existing colleges of education, polytechnics and research station. We are gradually developing our own VSAT connectivity.
"A lot of people have not yet come to terms with what we do in the open university. It is an equal opportunities university and this means that we meet the individual students whenever and whenever he wishes. Students of the NOUN avail themselves of the many foundation, certificate and diploma course as the case may be to get him or her up to matriculation level to get into the actual degree programme. This does not mean that we are cheap and compromising in the route to obtaining education and degrees. We merely provide quality, cost effective and flexible education.
"Before admission is given, experts study the student's credential and advise on what level to commence. These requirements are in no way lower than those obtainable in the conventional universities. The national open university is also subject to accreditation exercise put in place by the Federal Government through the NUC. The definition of a credit unit in any conventional university is same as in the national open university. The only basic difference is in the mode of instruction which is more flexible. You can study whenever and wherever it is convenient for you. You could repeat your lectures for yourself even though there is a duration for courses to last. The student's job, family, religious affiliations does not suffer. NOUN is not established to compete with other conventional universities but to complement them.