Graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria would soon be
allowed to participate in the National Youth Service Corps Scheme and
the Nigerian Law School programme.
The Director, Ilorin Study Centre of NOUN, Michael Abikoye, made this
known on Thursday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in
Ilorin.
Abikoye, who was NOUN first Acting Registrar, attributed exclusion of
NOUN graduates from the NYSC scheme and the Law School to public
misunderstanding of the difference between Open and Distance Learning
and part time studies.
He expressed optimism that with the ongoing talk between the
management of the Open University and the relevant stakeholders, NOUN
students would be absorbed into the scheme.
He said: “The denial of our graduates in participating in the NYSC
scheme is based essentially on the general misunderstanding of
difference in concept between open and distance learning system, which
Nigerians have equated with part time studies.
“But open and distance learning is not exactly the same thing as part
time study.
“Open and Distance Learning is a standard form of education and it is
the vogue in many advanced countries today.
“Incidentally, most of NOUN programmes are accredited by the National
Universities Commission that accredits programmes of conventional
Nigerian Universities.
“Our course materials are prepared by seasoned academics in the
conventional university system and they go through rigorous and
thorough process of editing and printing before they are released to
the students.
“It may not surprise you to know that even in the conventional
universities, our course materials are being used by some lecturers to
produce their own handouts for students.
“That shows you the quality of our materials and by extension, the
quality of our products.”
Abikoye said NOUN has standard and functioning laboratory at its
headquarters and in some selected study centres across the country.
He said what NOUN has done in some centres where it has no laboratory
of its own was to go into Memorandum of Understanding with the
neighbouring conventional universities.
He said: “At the Ilorin Study Centre here, for instance, we have gone
into collaboration with the University of Ilorin so that NOUN students
can avail themselves with laboratory facilities there.
“This was particularly meant for the students of our School of Health
Science and ICT.”
Abikoye disclosed that NOUN has set up two skills acquisition
vocational centres at graduate, post graduate diploma and certificate
levels to fill the gap left behind by conventional universities.
NAN.
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