NOUN graduates to join NYSC, Law School programme soon – The Director, Ilorin Study Centre of NOUN

Graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) would soon be allowed to
participate in the National Youth Service Corps Scheme (NYSC) and the Nigerian Law
School Programme.
The Director, Ilorin Study Centre of NOUN, Mr Michael Abikoye, made this known on
Thursday in an interview in Ilorin.
Abikoye, who was NOUN first Acting Registrar, attributed exclusion of NOUN graduates
from the scheme and law school to public misunderstanding of the difference between
Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and part time studies.
He expressed optimism that with the ongoing talk between the management of the Open
University and the relevant stakeholders, NOUN students would be absorbed into the
scheme.
“The denial of our graduates in participating in the NYSC scheme is based essentially on
the general misunderstanding of difference in concept between open and distance
learning system, which Nigerians have equated with part time studies.
“But open and distance learning is not exactly the same thing as part time study.
“Open and Distance Learning is a standard form of education and it is the vogue in
many advanced countries today.
“Incidentally, most of NOUN programmes are accredited by the National Universities
Commission (NUC) that accredits programmes of conventional Nigerian Universities.
“Our course materials are prepared by seasoned academics in the conventional university
system and they go through rigorous and thorough process of editing and printing
before they are released to the students.
“It may not surprise you to know that even in the conventional universities; our course
materials are being used by some lecturers to produce their own handouts for students.
“That shows you the quality of our materials and by extension, the quality of our
products,” Abikoye added.
Abikoye said that NOUN has standard and functioning laboratory at its headquarters and
in some selected study centres across the country.
He said what NOUN has done in some centres where it has no laboratory of its own was
to go into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the neighbouring conventional
universities.
“At the Ilorin Study Centre here for instance, we have gone into collaboration with the
University of Ilorin, so that NOUN students can avail themselves with laboratory facilities
there.
“This was particularly meant for the students of our School of Health Science and ICT,”
he said.
Abikoye disclosed that NOUN has set up two skills acquisition vocational centres at
graduate, post graduate diploma and certificate levels to fill the gap left behind by
conventional universities.