President Bola Tinubu has assured the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) of his government’s support to ensure the advancement of its open and distance learning (ODL) structure.
Mr Tinubu gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja at the 14th convocation of the university.The president, represented by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, through Rakiya Gambo, director of tertiary education at the Federal Ministry of Education, said NOUN would be strongly supported through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund).
Mr Tinubu said there was a need to advance technology in tertiary institutions to guarantee robust learning, especially for the ODL.“The federal government, under my leadership, is committed to supporting education by leveraging information technology to enhance learning.
“Through strategic intervention, we are ensuring that education remains the key to our technological development.“As such, the federal government, through TetFund, is financing the fibre optic infrastructure at NOUN to provide seamless internet access to a substantial number of students at study centres across the geo-political zones of the country,” Mr Tinubu said.
The president said NOUN had benefited immensely from various government interventions through TetFund, pledging that his government would continue to provide financial support to the institution. The vice-chancellor of the University, Olufemi Peters, said NOUN had continued to receive requests to establish additional study centres from prominent individuals, community leaders and associations.
Mr Peters said this was a testament to the essential role the educational institution had played in serving the nation. “To meet the demand of our expanding reach, we leverage cutting-edge information and communication technology to enhance instructional delivery and improve learning outcomes.
“Our global learning culture is further enriched through innovative collaborations and partnerships with institutions such as the University of South Africa, the Open University, UK, the Open University of Tanzania and so on,” he said.
The pro-chancellor of the university, Isa Yuguda, had earlier urged the federal government to incorporate NOUN graduates into its National Youth Service Corps programme to encourage more youths to enrol in the ODL structure.
(NAN)
