Nigeria loses over N155 billion to Ghana due to the country’s poor tertiary education system.
ABU has launched its Distance Learning Center (DLC) to mop up some percentage of qualified applicants unable to secure on-campus admission in order to put Nigeria Tertiary education system among the best in the world and also help resolve the admission crisis.
According to the authority of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, 71,000 Nigerian students are studying in Ghana making Nigeria to lose over N155 billion to the West African nation.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on the DLC, the Director, ABU Distance Learning Center, Prof. Adamu Hassan, said there was need to review the educational delivery in Nigeria in line with current trends.
He said: “Why do we need Distance Learning Education in Nigerian University system? Nigerian population is 160 million and still growing. Over two million undergraduate applicants annually and less than thirty percent (30%) are admitted due to limited space and facilities. Tens of thousands of Nigerian students are compelled to study in foreign countries with over 71, 000 in Ghana costing Nigeria over N155 billion. This is sad and needs to be changed.”
He lamented that the establishment of additional universities has not significantly alter the problem, hence, the ABU decision to reverse the trend and help generate more revenue for the Nigeria economy.
Hassan stated further that the distance learning will also accommodate “the on campus students unable to continue their studies on-campus, Nigerians in Diaspora and foreigners interested in Nigerian degrees and organizations seeking special trainings.
“We are just starting with the MBA in October” while assuring that, “the total time to complete an online course will be equivalent to that of an on campus programme and the same degree will be earned as the ones on campus.”
He explained that the ABU distance learning model involves the applications of multimedia technology that support electronic instructional delivery mode (e-learning) as well as independent learning.
“The ABU model is unique; you can acquire PHD without leaving your home. Wherever you are in the world you can get quality certificate from ABU without been in the classroom. ABU is the first University to introduce the distance learning and our intention is to put ABU in the world map, that is where we should be,” he said.
The ABU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) administration, Prof. Ibrahim Naiya Sada, revealed that the programme has the approval of the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) and the Senate.
He assured that the model has all it takes for qualitative learning with international standard.
Source: Nigerianscholars.com, worldstagegroup.com