Maryam Abeeb
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has restated the country cannot operate 100 per cent e-learning due to challenges of infrastructure, power, and internet access.
NUC’s Deputy Executive Secretary (Academics) Dr Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, also expressed the commission’s concern over integrity issues surrounding the operation of the mode of learning in the country.
He said that e-learning must pass the integrity test before being fully embraced, adding that the commission wants to ensure that when there is e-learning in place, it would be run in such a manner that every student is accounted for.
“We need to sit down and articulate the requirements for e-learning: materials, men and women, infrastructure; what should we put in place, how should we proceed; we can’t do e-learning today in Nigeria. What we can do is blended learning.
“Anybody who is making noise that e-learning must start tomorrow is either mischievous or ignorant. If he knows what e-learning entails, no one can decree e-learning in Nigeria before the end of this year.
“We need to plan; we need to invest; we need to train. After putting all the infrastructures in place, we need training of teachers. You must get them to have a mind-set shift,” he said.
Raymond-Yusuf added that private open universities will come on board when all stakeholders are satisfied that the country has what it takes to guarantee quality and integrity of the e-learning programme, in order not create a window for the proliferation of worthless certificates under e-learning.
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