NOUN targets 1 million enrollment, as graduates now eligible for NYSC, Law School

THE National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has targeted to double its students’ enrollment from the current half a million across all departments by 2024.

The graduates of the university will now also be participating in the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) scheme and attending Law School as applicable.

The Chairman of Governing Council of the university, Prof Peter Okebukola, made this disclosure on Monday in Lagos while briefing newsmen on the development concerning the university as regards President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent to the 2018 NOUN Amendment Bill, which provides greater legitimacy to the university as a full-time open and distance learning institution.

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According to him, the proposed one million enrollment is in accordance with and follow-up to the three-year ministerial strategic plan which started since 2016 to increase access of qualified Nigerians to university education.

Prof Okebukola, who is the former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission(NUC), explained that NOUN with study centres across the country, was already repositioning itself to not only significantly improve the quality of learning delivery system such that its graduates becoming the best in at least five of its programmes in the Nigerian university system and employers’ delight by 2025, but also the best open and distance learning university in Africa five years after.

He noted that the university would roll out in the first quarter of 2019 unique delivery system to address remaining challenges faced by the students and was also at a close of hosting the African Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning(ACETEL) that would be funded with between $4 million and $6 million by the World Bank in five years circle.

While also announcing that the council had approved the promotion of three academic staff to professorship cadre and five others to associate professorship, he charged them to see their elevation as a call for greater responsibilities

He, however, commended the Senate of the university and its leadership, Prof Abdalla Adamu, the vice-chancellor, who was also present at the briefing, saying the NOUN was experiencing appreciable development through their management.