The Governing Council of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has commended the management of the Open Distance Learning (ODL) institution for introducing the E-ticketing, a learner-support service platform, which is an electronic solution device that facilitates, quick response to students and the general public complaints and enquiries.
According to the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola recalled that through the introduction of the platform, over 100 enquiries/queries are being responded to daily.
Addressing journalists at the Lagos Office of the university during a press conference organized at the end of the 69th Regular Meeting of Council held between June 20 and 23, to take stock of the activities of the university, the Council Chair, said the Council had approved the provision of solar panels in the 103 Study Centres of the university across the country.
He said this would supplement the conventional source of power/ energy in view of the supply of power through the national grid that may not always be available due to operational issues.
Okebukola, the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), however, stated that the cost of running generators is scaring and getting out of the reach of many institutions, which NOUN is not an exception. Okebukola, who noted that all the academic programmes offered by the university had been fully accredited by the National Universities Commission, added that in due course all NOUN programmes would rank in the same way as the current flagship programmes.
On the Africa Centre for Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL), a World Bank funded programme, won by NOUN out 1,000 applicants, he said the special academic Centre being jointly sponsored by the university, Association of African Universities (AAU), NUC and the World Bank has continued to blaze the trail in the development of ICT tools to enhance learning.
“I am happy to report that the postgraduate programmes at M.Sc and PhD levels in Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Management Information System have all received full accreditation status from the NUC.
The Centre focuses on development of human capacity and research in digital solutions that would lead to the utilization of technology for education,” Okebukola said. As part of strategies to improve staff productivity and enhance technology-driven systems, he said that the university management had also provided laptops for all academic staff as a working tool to drive the university’s activities.
“The policy is being implemented in phases and will be extended to other categories of staff in due course,” Okebukola assured the workers, saying that all the Faculties have mounted Masters and PhD programmes and are running well as exemplified in the grant approval by the National Universities Commission.
On staff welfare programmes and in keeping faith with due process, the Pro-Chancellor announced the appointment of three principal officers for the university, and promotion of 19 academic staff to Professors and Associate Professors.
The new principal officers are Mr. Oladipo Adetayo Ajayi (Registrar); Mr. Nasir Gusau Marafa (Bursar) and Dr. Angela Ebele Okpala (University Librarian), while the Council approved Mr. Sadiq Otu Shuab as the Director of Directorate of Physical Development, Works & Services (DPDW&S) based on the recommendation of the University’s Appointments and promotions Committee (A&PC).
On staff training, Okebukola, said that no fewer than 4,000 staff members have been trained in partnership with NUC, stated further: “Council is pleased to note that NOUN is partnering NUC in implementing a training institute for staff in the Nigerian university system. A total 4,000 staff have so far been trained in the Institute which keeps showcasing the capacity of NOUN to deliver quality university education.
“The university in the bid to transform the delivery method by the aggressive use of digital technologies has embarked on the integration of instruction videos to all courses. It is hoped that before the end of the year this drive would strengthen the multi-modal delivery system and ultimately provide varied opportunities for students to learn at any place at their pace.”
