Opinions differ about distance education by conventional universities

Apart from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), which is mandated to run Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes in the delivery of university education, dual mode universities are also allowed to run degree programmes by ODL. The spokesperson of National Universities Commission (NUC) Ibrahim Yakassai said few conventional universities have got approval to […]

Apart from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), which is mandated to run Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes in the delivery of university education, dual mode universities are also allowed to run degree programmes by ODL.

The spokesperson of National Universities Commission (NUC) Ibrahim Yakassai said few conventional universities have got approval to run ODL and that any university that is interested and has the resources could apply to run the Distance Learning programme.

“University of Abuja, ABU, University of Maiduguri, Yola and that of Lagos have Distance Learning Centres,” he said. 

Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU) Professor Ibrahim Garba said ODL is an effective way of giving university education because the number of students a lecturer is responsible for is small which translates to improvement in student learning and outcomes. 

He said in ABU, ODL students don’t attend lectures but they are responsible for planning their studies and managing their own time; they are given study material and go to classrooms to write exams.

However, while many scholars recognise the benefits of ODL, especially in overcoming the barriers to accessibility, opinions vary on whether or not conventional universities should provide education via ODL.    

The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Federal University Dutse (FUD), Professor Usman Adamu Izge, is of the opinion that ODL would give conventional universities an opportunity to admit more students but argued that such universities would end up producing graduates without quality and creativity.

According to him, monitoring, supervision and evaluation would not be effective in ODL programmes.

Speaking to Daily Trust, Dr. Auwal Abdulhameed, Dean Faculty of Agriculture in FUD, said the idea of running ODL programmes in face-to-face universities is now in vogue globally and that it is a good development to the education sector in the country because more students would be enrolled in universities every year.

Dr. Auwal argued that the major problem of running ODL course in Nigeria is epileptic power supply since most course materials are obtained online. Also, with weak internet connectivity ODL would remain a mirage.

The Deputy Provost of College of Education Gumel, Dr. Babayo Shuaibu said the introduction of ODL and satellite campuses would reduce the quality of certificates from the institutions of higher learning.

A lecturer at the Department of Veterinary Medicine of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Professor Bello Agai, said allowing conventional universities to run ODL programmes would reduce the number of uneducated youths on the streets.

According to him, there are many youth who had finished their secondary school education with good exam results but are roaming the streets for lack of space in the tertiary institutions to accommodate them.

“One of the reasons government wants to give universities approval to run ODL is because of the large number of people who want to get education but could not get admission because our universities are overstretched. This is why the government wants to use technology to address the problem,” he said 

According to him, most of the courses earmarked for distance learning do not require practical and if any, the institution would find a way of doing it.

He said already, some universities such as Ahmadu Bello University, University of Lagos and University of Abuja had started offering distance courses and that they are getting patronage.

He said universities are required to meet certain conditions before they are given the approval to embark on ODL.

The conditions include competent manpower that is technology based and delivery facilities.

On the challenges, he said “it is just like everything in Nigeria. If you do it properly it is going to be advantageous but if you don’t do it properly then it means it will generate half baked graduates.”

In Benue State, lecturers are of the belief that the merits of running ODL courses outweigh the demerits such as fraudulent practices.

A Mass Communication lecturer with the Benue State University (BSU), Dr Chile Ngusha said though, it was in the best interest of working class students to achieve their degree certificates or any other higher certificate from conventional universities through ODL centres, he however said the process could easily be hijacked by fraudsters.

Ngusha also said in the past, setting up of illegal satellite campuses and ODL centres of some universities by fraudsters, made it difficult for members of the public to distinguish original certificates from forged ones just as he stressed that even the approved centres are sometimes compromising standards due to ineffective monitoring mechanism by the mother institutions.

“Fraudsters could take over the programme. There had been cases where two centres of a particular higher institution existed in one place and it became difficult to distinguish because of the thin closeness. On the other hand, the legal centres most times compromised standards because the mother institution cannot check the centres frequently. So also unqualified  teachers and poor learning procedures are employed,” he said.

Ngusha, however, added that ODL could not be condemned because it is an opportunity to take education nearer to the people. He advised the National Universities Commission (NUC) to establish a department that would frequently check the activities of quacks across the country.

Similarly, Dr. David Akighir, a lecturer in the Department of Economics in BSU, said distance learning affords the working class the opportunity to enhance their productivity by acquiring higher certificates but expressed doubt that the students take their studies seriously.

He stressed that there were reported cases of unethical and corrupt practices by students of distant education, including forgery which were hardly tackled.

Akighir nevertheless pointed out that the advantages of distance learning outweigh the disadvantages if the students are able to use the time available to them properly to acquire the desired results.