…NOUN introduces e-ticketing
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has introduced an e-ticketing platform ahead of its 20th anniversary slated for March 25.
A total number of 58 prisoners will join 28,682 others to graduate from Nigeria’s main distance learning institution, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) as it celebrates 20 years of existence Saturday.
This is a marked increase from the 25 prison inmates that graduated from the institution in 2022. Social workers say though, that this figure is not encouraging and needs to be stepped up, if the Nigerian Prison Service is to adequately fulfil its role as a correctional establishment.
This is as prison authorities commit to engaging and enabling inmates to be law abiding and be gainfully employed after they have served their terms and are discharged from custody.
The Nigerian Prison Service operates vocational workshops where inmates learn crafts such as carpentery, masonery, sewing, plumbing and other skills but enrolment for university education among inmates has been rather low, social watchers say.
This is especially since the opening of the NOUN which facilitates distance learning was established 20 years ago.
The low enrolment rate is believed to be mainly on account of a shortage of information technology facilities such as computers and internet access in Nigeria’s 240 prisons which hold 75,504 inmates (figures for February27, 2023).
He said that 28,740 students would be graduating on Saturday as part of activities for the anniversary.
Meanwhile, Prof. Olufemi Peters the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, said in Abuja Prof. Olufemi Peters, said the establishment has introduced an e-ticketing platform to resolve challenges encoutered by students real-time.
“This helps us track the students’ challenges ,” Peters said.
He noted that the institution had achieved so much in ensuring that employed Nigerians, despite their tight schedule, could obtain quality education.
He said that 28,740 students would be graduating on Saturday as part of activities for the anniversary.
“The university want to use the opportunity to showcase what it has achieved especially its exploits during the COVID-19 era, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports Peters as saying.
“We have 21,339 undergraduate and 7,101 postgraduate students graduating.
“Among this number are 58 prison inmates, out of which seven are postgraduate graduands.
“We have 14 centres in our prisons and we have been mandated to expand it.
“In all, we have 28,740 students graduating during our 12th convocation,” Peters said.
He disclosed that the graduating inmates were under scholarship adding that there were criteria to be among the beneficiaries.
Peters said the gesture was NOUN’s own way of discharging its corporate social responsibilty to help the inmates lead normal lives after leaving the correctional centres.
He added that the first female Vice-chancellor of the University of South Africa (UNISA), Prof. Puleng LenkaBula, would be attending the convocation as the guest lecturer.
“Students of the five study centres in Abuja, first class and Masters students will come to the headquarters for the convocation, while others outside Abuja will join from the study centres in their various states.
“We have 141,000 active students and about 250,000, when you combine active and inactive students with 118 study centres nationwide.”
