Tinubu urges NOUN to champion cause of ODL in leveraging tech penetration
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has urged the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to champion the cause of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) “revolution” in Nigeria leveraging the increasing technology penetration and infrastructures in Nigeria.
The President gave the charge in his address as the Visitor to NOUN at the 14th convocation ceremony of the University in Abuja, at the weekend.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who represented the President through the Rakiya Gambo, Director of University Education, Federal Ministry of Education, told NOUN that education and other service delivery systems have changed drastically due to increasing access to technology, asking the university to champion the cause of the transition.
He described NOUN as a beacon of knowledge, innovation, and inclusivity in Nigeria’s education landscape, that had, over the years, provided flexible, accessible and high quality education to all Nigerians irrespective of location and age.
He said: “NOUN has successfully bridged the gap between the conventional University and the growing demand for accessible, flexible and quality tertiary education. It has continued to fulfil the mandate with remarkable success.
The President said that Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has been directed to strengthen the technology infrastructures in NOUN headquarters, Abuja, and its study centres across the country particularly the fibre optic infrastructure in order to provide seamless internet access for students.
NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, in his welcome address restated the readiness of the NOUN to champion the cause of ODL revolution in Nigeria, and also ready to mentor government and private ODL institutions in Nigeria.
He confirmed that the some private ODL institutions already licensed by the federal government are being mentored by NOUN, appreciating the Visitor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Minister of Education, Dr. Alausa, for the trust and confidence in the school.
