The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board has appealed to the National Open University of Nigeria for more sensitization programmes on both teaching and non-teaching staff of the Board.
This statement was contained in a speech delivered by the Permanent Member, school management Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Samaila Liman, when a high powered delegation of Kaduna Study Centre led by its director, Mr. Yusuf Abdullahi, who were on advocacy campaign visited the Board.
The Permanent Member further expressed that the Universal Basic Education Board is tasked with the responsibility of administrative management of Junior secondary and primary schools in Kaduna State.
According to him, the Board has more than four thousand schools and about thirty four thousand teaching staff directly under the management and control of the Board.
He maintained that they are in partnership with so many organisations, both Governmental and non Governmental.
He, therefore, applauded the visit which he described as a panacea for the development of education and thereby one that will build a strong partnership between the two sister agencies.
The Permanent Member, stated further that everything good coming to the board will be warmly received and be given ultimate priority.
He clearly spelled out that he prefers the National Open University of Nigeria than any other conventional university due to the fact that it allows one to pursue his or her education without leaving any vacuum.
He appealed to the management of NOUN Kaduna Study Centre to reach out to the teachers in the local areas as so many of them are not aware of the great opportunities brought to them by the National Open University of Nigeria.
“They are there but no adequate information about the existence and mode of delivery of the university,” said Liman.
He added that with the flexible nature of the university the staff would buy the idea while its affordability will surely encourage them to enroll into the system.
He has promised to create avenue where the twenty three education secretaries in the State Will all converge and be adequately sensitised and be informed about the university.
This will no doubt also push the message to the teachers in various local government areas. He added.
He further assured that they will mobilise all the teachers and create a fora where they can be sensisitized on the existence of the University and the need to join the National Open University of Nigeria as it is the only option left.
He commended the effort of the Centre and maintained that the university is the future of education.
He emphasised that stigmatisation due to lack of adequate knowledge of the system and the certificate hinder enrollment into the university.
He categorically stated that the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board is Open to partnership.
Earlier in his address, the director Kaduna Study Centre, Mr. Yusuf Abdullahi, commended the effort of the board for granting the opportunity to meet.
When speaking on the National Open University of Nigeria, Mr. Abdullahi stated that the NOUN like any other university in Nigeria was established by an Act of the National Assembly.
National Open University of Nigeria is regulated by the National Universities Commission like other conventional universities in the country.
Despite being regulated by the NUC, NOUN activities are further regulated by other two international bodies, Common Wealth of Learning COL, and the Africa Centre for Distance Learning ACDE. with there headquarters in Vancouver Canada and Nairobi Kenya respectively.
He narrated that the university have eight faculties, with about 100 accredited academic programmes.
Moreover, the university is well represented in the country with one hundred and three Study Centres across the Federation. Said, Abdullahi.
Further discussed that the university is anchored on three basic phylosophy of Affordality, Accessibility and Flexibility which allow students to learn at their own pace.
He added, other barriers and impediments like JAMB do not formed a prerequisite requirement for the award of admission into the university.
NOUN is meant to absorb and provide education to all Nigerian as our conventional universities could not absorb one quarter of our qualified youth for admission into our universities.
One the mode of delivery, Mr. Abdullahi explained that the university have designed a course material, developed by professional, simplify for to the level of a common learner.
Despite the course material which are in soft and hard copies, Abdullahi stated that there were online facilitation and instructional videos that guide learning.
He called for the mobilization of both teaching and non teaching staff so as to come inform them on the existence of the University and bountiful benefits that await them to harness.
Promised to partner hand in hand with the SUBEB as stakeholders in the education sectors so as to carry education to the door step of every Nigeria.
The Director, Quality Assurance of the of the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Tanko S. M. Aliyu, Deputy Director, School Management, Mr. Abubakar Umar and Mr. Rabi’u Muhammad Idris AD(IQTE) formed part of the meeting.
