Prof. Abdalla Adamu, the Vice-Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)m says the Senate will hold public hearing on the status of NOUN’s Law programme and other issues affecting the institution.
Adamu, who disclosed this at a pre-convocation news conference on Friday in Abuja, said that the public hearing would hold on Jan. 16.
He said that NOUN’s sixth convocation would be held on Jan. 21, at the institution’s permanent site, Jabi, Abuja.
According to him, the bill to reposition the institution recently passed second reading.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that there has been a lingering stand-off between NOUN and the Council for Legal Education (CLE) over non-admittance of NOUN’s law graduates Nigerian into Law School.
“The Senate will on Jan. 16 hold a public hearing on NOUN law; in NOUN’s original Act, it was said that it will deliver via correspondence.
“That was why CLE our Law graduates cannot be admitted into Law school.
“That aspect has been expunged; it has passed second reading and once the Senate substitutes Correspondence clause with Open Distance Learning (ODL) clause, there will no longer be issues.
“It took a while for people to understand that NOUN operates full time as there is a difference between ODL and online learning,’’ he said.
The vice-chancellor said that in 1983 when NOUN was conceptualised, it was for working class people but the pressure on conventional universities had made the institution an alternative for young students.
He said that since 2011, the institution had witnessed an influx of young students who graduated at ages suitable for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
According to him, when the Senate amendment clarifies that NOUN is not a part time institution, NYSC will start accepting NOUN products who meet the age and other requirements.
Adamu alerted the public to the existence of a fake admission portal www.noun.com.ng with the intent to defraud unsuspecting applicants, students and the general public.
He said that the authentic NOUN portal is www.nounonline.com, which was properly secured.
NAN also reports that no fewer than 5,975 students would participate in the forthcoming NOUN convocation. (NAN)
CJ/MST