President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Education to formulate modalities for mobilising graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to participate in the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC).
Mr Tinubu disclosed this at the 13th Convocation Ceremony of the university in Abuja at the weekend.
In 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari provided his assent to the amended NOUN Act which allows the university to operate like other regular Nigerian regular universities and paves way for its law graduates to attend the Nigerian Law School (NLS) and to enroll for the NYSC.
The NLS began admitting first NOUN law graduates in 2022 but they have been unable to enrol for the NYSC.
Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Biodun Saliu, Mr Tinubu said: “With the changing demographics of our great nation the government has recognised the importance of allowing NOUN graduates to participate in the NYSC scheme.”
Mr Tinubu said the admission of NOUN law graduates at the Nigerian Law School is part of plans to get equal opportunities of becoming legal practitioners as their counterparts who attend other regular universities full time.
“The doors of the Law School are now open to the graduates, ensuring equal opportunities for all. Any remaining concerns or uncertainties should be promptly addressed by the Federal Ministry of Education,” he said.
Importance of ODL
The President noted that the NOUN convocation ceremony signifies the pivotal role of Open and Distance Learning Education (ODL) in Nigeria’s educational landscape.
He added that his administration will continue to promote ODL to improve access to higher education in the country, stressing that the deployment of the ODL is a key to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We will continue to do this in order to improve quality, access and affordability…Government is, therefore, committed through the Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC to provide the enabling environment to ensure a good delivery of this mode of education in Nigeria,” Mr Tinubu added.
About NOUN
The National Open University of Nigeria was initially established in 1983 as a springboard for open and distance learning in Nigeria. It was suspended by the government on 25 April 1984.
However, its resuscitation began in 2001 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
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