DIRECTOR, National Open University (NOUN), Maiduguri centre, Dr Mohammed Yahaya has said that in spite of lingering insurgency, students population in the centre has increased to 2,448 from undergraduate to postgraduate level.
Dr Yahaya, who assumed duty over a year ago noted that this is a tremendous increase compared to a total of 1, 000 students registered in for courses and levels when he assumed duty as the director.
The director, who responded to questions from newsmen after the 18th matriculation of 101 new students last week Saturday, said he was happy that the position of his centre was improving and helping a lot of students to work and learn.
“With this matriculation in NOUN, our position, when compared to the other centre, is improving by the day from down there to about the 13th position out of 78 centres, he said.
Dr Yahaya, who represented the vice chancellor of NOUN, Professor Abdalla Adamu said that the management had been able to strengthen the directorate of entrepreneurship aimed at empowering the creative capabilities of students.
He added that this development, “coupled with the directorate of ‘learning content management system” will help to bridge the gap between students and lecturers as they work and study.”
He informed the new intakes that NOUN is not a conventional university and as such, they must brace up for all the challenges associated with studying in a non-conventional environment.
On the mixing of matriculation and orientation exercises together, he said it was decided at management level that the two activities should be married and completed on the same day because it’s a uniform system nationwide in which over 17, 000 students matriculated.
On problems affecting the centre, he noted: “insurgency is a major problem that had its toll on the centre, but an incubation centre has been opened to ensure that entrepreneurial skills are imparted on students of the North-East centre.”
This centre is a unique place for the learning of various skills which include: baking, carpentry, welding, tailoring, tile interlocking and many others, which would enable students of 10 other states under its jurisdiction.”
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