The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NOUN

  • Groups commend NOUN for reforms

    The Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria (ILEWN), Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI), and 17 allied civil society groups have comme-nded the management of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) for the management of the varsity’s information system.

    The groups also commen-ded management of the institution for bringing positive changes to the institution.

    Executive Director, (ILEWN), Agbonkpolor Splendor, who was joined by the Director, Media & Publicity, (EUYI), Danesi Momoh, gave the commendation at a briefing in Abuja yesterday.

    He described the new Information system recently developed by the university as self-sustaining and efficient.

    Splendor called on those peddling falsehood about the system to desist from it and support the management to reposition the university.

    He said: “It is therefore important in this regard that the administrative ingenuity exhibited by NOUN management be replicated across all offices and institutions of government with no exception.

    “The deft strategy employed by NOUN in its data management has no doubt curb waste in the system and enhanced overall efficiency.

    “This should be emulated by government agencies as the era of brazen waste and frivolous contracts are over. More funds can therefore be conserved for developmental purposes.”

     

  • Appeal to NOUN management

    SIR: On behalf of my colleagues, I commend the management team of the NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA (NOUN) led by Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, seasoned administrator per excellence for his recent meeting with the Senator Samuel Anyanwu -led Senate Committee towards proffering long-lasting solutions to the rejection of NOUN law graduates in the law school . His name will be written in the sand of time if a breakthrough is recorded.

    Specifically, let me appeal to the School’s Directorate of Exams and Assessments to immediately review the just released second draft time table which schedules more than two examinations for students in a day. Although, it’s well known to all and sundry that the school has an elongated calendar this semester, kindly put in place student friendly measures to ensure a hitch free examination period and not gateway to failure again!

    However, while concerned students await the quick refund of their hard earned fee that was swept away with the old portal, may I also on behalf of others call the attention of the institution, particularly, the Management Information System to the non-availability of some Tutors Marked Assignments (TMAs) as examination is fast approaching with the recent release of two sets of draft timetables.  It will be appalling if there is a replica of inefficiency on the part of the management in the assessment of TMAs like that of the previous semester where mass failure was recorded by serious minded students due to the inability of the school to allow the submission of TMAs.

    We hope for quick action in response to these complaints.

     

    • Adelanwa Quadri,

    Abeokuta, Ogun State.

  • NOUN and failure of leadership

    SIR: My attention was drawn on May 1 to an article on the ongoing crisis at the National University of Nigeria written by a social commentator Ahmed Abdullahi as published in The Nation. Abdullahi in his well-written piece did his best to describe the ordeal currently being endured by all students and staff of the National Open University as a result of the actions and inactions of its Vice Chancellor Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu since his appointment a little over a year ago. But the situation is even worse than was portrayed in The Nation. NOUN is sinking as we speak and if nothing is done by the federal government and all stakeholders to rescue the institution, Nigeria’s only open and distance learning university will be history in no time.

    While the bulk of the mess we are dealing with as students revolve around the VC’s decision to abruptly close the school’s registration and iLearn platform, the issues go even deeper than that. These platforms are the lifeline of our institution, it is the gateway, the channel through which we the students connect with our lecturers and through which NOUN itself connects to the world. That lifeline, that gateway, that channel no longer exists as we speak. Professor Adamu in his wisdom decided to shut it down without providing adequate alternative.

    The implication of this abrupt closure of the portal and iLearn platform by the VC is that all NOUN students can no longer pay their school fees online, or register for courses online, or get tutorials and other learning materials, access past exam questions, submit assignments and reports, or access results from past sessions and semesters. NOUN has essentially been stripped of everything that makes it an open and distance learning institution and we the students are paying heavily for that.

    It’s like after travelling a long distance by road through a car for several times, we are suddenly being asked to ride camels. We are made to understand that the school management lost all student data in the database when the platforms were shut down. So as we speak the school management cannot authoritatively say who is a student or not. Imagine being born in the age of mobile phones and 4G internet and someone asks you to hire a town crier to broadcast a message to global audience. So many students also have their school fees trapped inside the old portals and are now being asked to pay new fees.

    Essentially nothing is working in NOUN right now. Our study centres no longer have internet connectivity. The erstwhile smooth school academic calendar has been disrupted as a result of these and many more issues, all directly or indirectly tied to questionable decisions and policies introduced by Professor Adamu. There is a distinct lack of transparency in the administration of the school; policies are announced out of thin air without any consultation with students or staff.

    President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu also have their fair share of the blame in the chaos that is engulfing NOUN. The issues surrounding his appointment as Vice Chancellor last year apart, the President and minister owe Nigerians a duty by to uphold the integrity of one of the most important higher institutions in the country. The fact that the President and the Minister have been turned their backs to this crisis at NOUN for a year now despite several appeals to intervene by the students and staff makes them complicit.

    As students, our demands are simple. NOUN was a perfectly functional institution before Professor Adamu became the VC; the least we ask of him is to keep it that way and not make it worse. We implore the VC to rethink some of his decisions that have crippled our institution and immediately reinstate the formerly well-functioning portals so all students can carry on with their education without further disruptions.

     

    • Patrick Omoregie,

     Lagos.

  • Is The National Open University Back To The Dark Ages?

    Is The National Open University Back To The Dark Ages?

    A ubiquitous trend in all human species and societies is a constant desire for change – change from bad to good, and good to better. It is a desire that has fueled decades of development and propelled advancements in science, medicine, technology, arts etc. Change however is not always progressive. There exists the propensity for change from good to bad due to leadership challenges. And it breaks the heart that the change currently being experienced at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is one that threatens to undo years of progressive developments at the institution.

    The federal government in February 2016 rejigged the leadership of the nation’s flagship open and distance learning institution by appointing Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu as Vice Chancellor, taking over from Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe. This was immediately challenged by a civil society organisation, alleging that the move ran contrary to the National Open University Act (2004), which mandates the federal government to consult with the University Council before removing or appointing a Vice Chancellor.

    The National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, was established formally in 2002 as the flagship tertiary institution for Open and Distance Learning in Nigeria. Since its establishment, the institution has engaged the services of NOUN iLEARN, a harmonised Learning Management Portal that allows for online instructional delivery through the combination of audio, video and text mediums.

    Without the iLEARN platform, the relationship and synergy that exists between the students and the knowledge bank as provided by the university management through the lecturers are shattered. And this transcends academics. Other aspects of the university operations made possible through the iLEARN technology are condemned to stone age realities. Unfortunately, this is what currently obtains at NOUN as decisions taken by the VC have plunged the school into an operational chaos that is having a devastating impact on the students.

    The iLEARN platform serves as the digital soul for the smooth running of an ICT-compliant National Open University. Without it, students are subjected to long trips to and from the school to physically do things that should be done remotely. The workload of support staff and admin officers are tripled as they have to attend to long queues and manually fill forms and file papers. Removal of the iLEARN platform basically strips NOUN of all its ICT components and that is what the leadership of Professor Abdalla Adamu has done.

    Apart from operations, iLEARN provides NOUN students with dedicated support lines and staff who answer student’s questions on all matters of interest from admission to graduation. The service ensures students can reach to the school via multiple social and digital media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, BBM, blogs all coordinated and linked to a dedicated call centre with 5 personnel per time. Before the questionable decision to stop the service, students called in from all part of the world to make enquiries on NOUN through iLEARN.

    Now students must visit the institution to make enquiries. Without the synergy and connectivity that iLEARN provides, students no longer have valuable and immediate feedback on issues affecting them and the management is left winking in the dark as well.

    It gets even worse

    Professor Abdalla’s insistence of doing things his own way even when all available metrics point to better solutions has left NOUN with a broken student-tutor interaction system. Due to the VC’s decision to strip the school of ICT framework provided by the iLEARN platform, students now rely more on self-learning and have been cut out of interacting with tutors where they could ask questions and get guidance on studies.

    Currently, there are no engagements or interactions of any sort between students and tutors. In the bid to help themselves, they must constantly source for tutors to tutor them face to face – which is against the vision and spirit behind the establishment of the institution.

    It doesn’t end there

    In the catalogue of retrogressive taken the current VC to undo 15 years of development at NOUN is the decentralisation of the university portal. Before now, nou.edu.ng served as NOUN’s only website and a centralised portal that guided students’ and visitors alike for correct information while providing the school with the benefit of being well placed according to webometrics ranking.

    This has since changed under the new VC. NOUN now operates multiple websites with portals that have barely worked for 48 hours, leaving students stranded at different stages of their payment and registration processes. This has also opened students and the institution to security challenges as sensitive information are entered into different websites in a world of cyber and information attacks. The cost of operating multiple websites also raises the question of whether the VC’s decision makes any economic sense.

    These and more are what students of the National Open University are currently dealing with. Learning has been made cumbersome, and even basic processes such as payment of fees, registration and taking exams have become so stressful that a lot of students have been demoralised and frustrated.

    Things may yet get worse if the current trend is not checked. A fully functional and operational NOUN is in the best interest of Nigeria’s human capital development. As such the relevant authorities must come to the aid of the labouring students of the school by compelling the VC to reverse the damaging policies so instituted.

    Ahmed Abdullahi

    writes from Lagos

  • NOUN plans mega projects

    The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has promised to  embark on the construction of three mega projects; library complex, faculty building and a 1000-seater theatre/conference hall.

    The institution’s vice chancellor, Prof Abdallah Uba Adamu, who announced this with reporters in Sokoto, added that the three projects would be financed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund); and NEEDS Assessment.

    According to him, the library project was necessary to fasttrack the institution’s education baseline, adding that, when completed, it promises to be a state-of-the-art equipped with materials of international standard.

    Similarly, Adamu said the proposed faculty building with provision for adjourning facilities will accommodate among others Social Sciences and Arts, while the theatre will have an extension that would accommodate the university’s Directorate of Sports.

    “We will also establish and upgrade a Mass Communication studios where students will practically receive lectures and learn video aspects. Already, a prototype has been designed by a consultant.”

    In the same vein, Adamu countered the age-long misconception of NOUN that some universities do not consider their students post graduate studies. He is happy that trend is now changing.

    “We see other universities as friends and partners in progress”, he concluded.

  • NOUN law graduates write Osinbajo on Law School case

    NOUN law graduates write Osinbajo on Law School case

    THE Law Graduates Forum (LGF) of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has written to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on alleged failure to deliver judgment in their case against the Council of Legal Education (CLE).
    They sought his intervention in the case challenging their non-admittance to the Law School.
    Their letter, dated February 20, was signed by the forum’s chairman, Carl Umegboro, secretary Samuel Adeola, public relations officer Prince Daniel and Victor Mpamugo.
    LGF is in court following CLE’s refusal to extend admission quotas to NOUN in the Law School despite the open university’s accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
    They sued at the Federal High Court in Port Hourcourt. Three years later, judgment was fixed, but the judge was transferred .
    The law graduates alleged the case spent three years in court due to “unjustifiable delays and politically-motivated technicalities”, which it said were adopted to frustrate them.
    They said the case was argued on December 7, after which Justice B.O. Quadiri fixed January 27 for judgment.
    “As scheduled, on our arrival from all geographical zones as delegated to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, the ugly news was broken that the judgment we travelled far distances to witness would not be delivered as the judge has been transferred to Abuja Division after fixing the judgment but without directives on the matter,” they said.
    The forum fears that the matter already fixed for judgment may begin afresh, which it believes would amount to “aberration, intimidation and tyranny”.
    “We reject such vindictiveness and undue influences, and request that you (Osinbajo) use your good offices to see that the needful is timely done.
    “We also solemnly call upon all well-meaning Nigerians and civil society groups to stand against tyranny and acts capable of thwarting the rule of law before it is too late,” the group said.
    LGR said its members had gone through “agonising intimidations and frustrations by the CLE in conjunction with the judiciary as a whole over our rightful admission and training in the Law School, a facility solely-owned by the Federal Government.”
    Copies of the letter were addressed to the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), the NOUN vice-chancellor, activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), among others.

  • NOUN worker burnt to death

    NOUN worker burnt to death

    A National Open University (NOUN) worker, who just returned from the United States, was yesterday burnt to death when fire razed her Ketu, Lagos home.

    The fire, it was learnt, was caused by power surge from a flat in the one-story building.

    Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) General manager Adesina Tiamiyu said the prompt deployment of rescue team stopped the inferno from spreading to other buildings.

    He said: “The agency received a distress alert via the emergency toll free number 767/112 at about 3:10am, regarding a fire at 7 Jemigbon Street, Apollo Estate, off Elebiju, Ketu.

    “This prompted the immediate activation of the agency’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) including the LASEMA Response Unit (LRU), Fire Unit and the Lagos State Fire Service to the scene.

    “The prompt deployment prevented the spread of the inferno to other buildings in the estate.

    “Preliminary investigation conducted at the scene of the incident revealed that a duplex which was converted to flats (five mini flats, a two bedroom flat and a four bedroom flat) was gutted by fire.

    “This was as a result of power surge from one of the mini flats on the first floor of the building, which then escalated to other flats.

    “Further investigation revealed that the inferno, which engulfed the entire building had an adult female entrapped and severely burnt.

    “The body was recovered by the agency, handed over to the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) and has since been deposited at the Lagos Mainland General Hospital Mortuary.

    “The woman was identified as a staff of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). We sympathise with the family of the deceased. However, we emphasise on the incorporation of safety into building construction such as provision of more than one emergency exit route and installation of surge protectors and fire alarm systems to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and properties to fire such as this.”

    A resident, who identified himself simply as Mr Tomiwa told The Nation that the deceased came back from the US this year.

    He said her husband stays in the U.S.

    He explained that he was asleep when he heard shouts of “help, help”, with someone knocking his gate around 2:45 am.

    “I initially thought it was thieves in the area, so I did not stand up, when the knock was persistent, I summoned courage and moved closer to the gate, and then I discovered it was fire outbreak. The flame was much, many residents were out and we all rendered assistance by pouring water before the various rescue officials came around. They all tried and prevented the fire from extending to other buildings in the estate, in fact, one official of the fire brigade and one LASEMA official were injured while trying to put out the fire.

    “The fire was caused by power urge. When they brought light in the middle of the night, it seems the current was high and that led to the outbreak. Besides, I think there is fuel and cooking gas in the compound – all these added to the problem.

    “Everything in the building burnt, including phones, laptop, clothes, shoes, money, house hold goods and passport with visa, to mention a few.”

    He said part of the burnt wall fell on the woman, adding: “We knew she was under the wall because her intestine was seen on the ground. They had to pack it up in a bag and rolled away the wall to get the other parts of her body which were scattered,” he said.

  • Buhari applauds NOUN for redefining ODL

    Buhari applauds NOUN for redefining ODL

    The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has been praised for steadily fulfilling its mandate of expanding access to higher education at affordable cost to teeming population of Nigerian students through Open Distance Learning (ODL).

    Speaking at the 6th Convocation of the university, President Muhammadu Buhari noted that Nigeria, especially presently, awaits the manifestation of the great ideas that NOUN graduates are endowed with, praising the university for charting new directions in ODL education through maximum use of information and communication technology, research, instructional materials and other training aids.

    He said: ”I am delighted knowing that NOUN is re-inventing a new dawn in human capital development trajectory through open and distance education.

    ”I, therefore, charge our universities to embark on aggressive and result-oriented research in collaboration with government agencies and private sector on the development of the entrepreneurial skills of our youth for job and wealth creation,” he said.

    The President represented by the National Universities Commission (NUC) Executive Secretary, Prof Haruna Abubakar Rasheed, said restoring the economy would require creative solutions.

    “The task of revamping the nation’s economy requires the critical roles of academics in the areas and innovations in order to shift the emphasis from an oil-dependent to a technology-driven economy,” he said.

    On his part, the NOUN Vice Chancellor, Prof Abdalla Uba Adamu, said the university had witnessed tremendous reforms targeted at positioning the university within the framework of global best practices in ODL delivery.

    On the challenges, The NOUN VC mentioned that the massive shortfall in staff emoluments had restricted employment and overburdened existing staff.

    ”Indeed, the increasing demands for Community Study Centres from all parts of the Federation is one thing that NOUN cannot cope with due to severe reduction in staff emoluments.

    ”The worrisome issue of lack of maintenance of existing study centres due to their resource demand is another challenge. Also, there is an increased demand for Community Study Centres from all parts of the federation which NOUN cannot cope with, due to severe reduction in staff emoluments,” he said.

    In his speech, Chancellor of the university, Igwe Lawrence Okolio Chikezie Agubuzu, OON, assured the guests and parents that the institution was in talks with relevant authorities so that NOUN graduates’ can participate in NYSC and be admitted into the Nigerian Law School.

    He thanked President Buhari for providing financial support and creating the enabling conditions for the university to flourish.

    Thirty one out of the 12, 125 students spread across 11 faculties of the university graduated with First Class.

    In a chat with CAMPUSLIFE, the Best Graduating Student, Mr. Nkwor Jude Peter who graduated from the Ikeja Study Centre, attributed his achievement to hard work, dedication and prayer, noting that his academic adventure at NOUN had equipped him with requisite skills to be self-reliant and industrious in the outside world.

    He said: ”NOUN, no doubt is an emerging force in the comity of Nigerian public universities. It is a public knowledge that NOUN is renowned for its wonderful academic programmes and a flexible study schedule that aids the optimal academic performance of its students. Little wonder, thousands of graduates are turned out in her yearly convocation ceremonies.

    ”Today, I congratulate my colleagues for graduating successfully, and also channel my sincere gratitude to God for making me emerge the best among this set of graduates.”

    Some prominent guests who graced the event include, the Pro-Chancellor, Senator Ameh Abute, two former Vice Chancellors, Prof Afolabi Ojo and Prof Vincent Ado Tenebe, among others.

  • NOUN to graduate 5,975

    The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) will award various degree certificates to 5,975 students at its Sixth convocation in Abuja on Saturday.

    At a briefing, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdallah Adamu, said the university had 224,000 students, of which 5,975 would be graduating.

    The graduands include two prisoners who will be presented with their certificates at a future date.

    Adamu also said the institution would graduate 12 first class students.

    The NOUN VC said prisoners who want to study at the university would not be charged tuition fee.

    “If a prisoner wants to study in noun it is free of charge. We feel while they are there they should not be denied education. But once he or she is out of prison they will pay,” he said.

    He said the law establishing the university would be amended by the National Assembly to expunge the phrase which said the university would provide knowledge through ‘correspondence’ and replaced it with ‘Open Distance Learning (ODL).’

    Adamu said law students from the university would attend law schools and graduates would soon be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) after the amendment.

    “I can conveniently tell you everybody is worried about our students not being admitted into the Nigerian Law School. The Senate is holding public hearings on the law establishing the Act,” Adamu said.

    He said the university had reduced the incidences of missing results after developing its own independent web portal, following the termination of the agreement with an Inforation technology (IT) company that developed and managed the previous portal.

  • NOUN suspends law degree admission

    NOUN suspends law degree admission

    The Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Abdalla Adamu yesterday said the university has suspended admission into its law degree programmes.

    Adamu said this in Abuja when he visited the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof. Abubakar Rasheed in his office.

    He said the suspension of admission into the programme followed advice by the National Universities Commission (NUC)? that students should be stopped from undertaking the course pending the resolution of the inability of its graduates to go to Law School like their counterparts from other universities.

    The Council for Legal Education had exempted law graduates of Open University from attending Law School on the ground that the mode of study at the Open University is either by correspondence or part time.

    Adamu said such interpretation of the Act establishing NOUN by CLE was at variance with the prevalent global understanding of the mode of instruction of Open University.

    He said NOUN is an Open Distance Learning Institution (ODL) which according to him provides accessible, affordable and equitable education to millions of individuals who would work and learn at the same time due to their circumstances.

    Prof. Adamu said: “We are praying to the ES to draw the attention of the CLE to the fact that NOUN as an ODL institution, does? not equate to part time or correspondence institution.

    “In order to make things easier for everyone, we have accepted the NUC recommendation to halt admission into the programme until we streamline our activities with the CLE.

    “For NUC to convince the CLE that we are an ODL institution, a proper and legitimate mechanism for education all over the world and in all domains, and therefore accept our graduates for admission into the Law School.

    In his response, the NUC secretary said the Commission would seek audience with CLE in order to make the Council understands that NOUN is not a part-time or a correspondence programme.

    He said: “It is a policy of Legal Education Council to deny certain category of students from going to Law School. NOUN is an ODL institution; this is the future of tertiary education in the world.

    “NOUN has come with genuine defence. We will have to adjust to this reality of this open and distance which is threatening the character and nature of our tertiary institutions in the country. Digital revolution is one of the two revolutions of the recent decade that are changing the world.

    “We are going to make a strong case, draw the attention of CLE to the fact that NOUN is an ODL and not a correspondence programme. This is a new method of learning ?globally.”