The National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN on Tuesday solicited for partnership with the Governor Alex Otti for the establishment of a study centre in Aba, describing Open and distant learning as the way to go in the 21st Century.
A delegation of the management of NOUN led by Professor Uduma Orji Uduma paid a courtesy call on the governor, noting “the University has 120 Study Centres across Nigeria with only 8 in the South East region”, and appealed to the State government to partner with the University to secure land for the establishment of a study centre in Aba to enable more Abians enjoy the gains of open and distant learning, in addition to fixing and upgrading the existing Umuahia study centre.
He appreciated the transformation projects of Governor Alex Otti in the State and maintained that the people across the country are happy about his people oriented development strides.
Responding, the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti called on Nigerians to embrace digital and distance education as it is the way to go in the contemporary time, and appreciated the fact that it is the NOUN that pioneered virtual learning in Nigeria.
“It is interesting that National Open University of Nigeria pioneered an effort decades ago when the world had not gone virtual’, he said and approved the siting of the Aba Study Centre of the NOUN, while directing the Commissioner for Tertiary Education to do a feasibility study on how to fix and upgrade the Umuahia study centre.
“On the request for a study centre in Aba, I think that one is a no-brainer. It has to be done.
“Maybe we need to find a place that they will operate from on a temporary basis. Because, before you start and finish building, it will probably take a long time”, Otti said.
The State Chief Executive, who thanked them for the good job that they are doing at National Open University of Nigeria and for establishing a study centre in Asaga Ohafia as well as the one in the State capital, congratulated the Ebonyi State born Vice Chancellor on his position.
The governor noted that his government pays a lot of attention to education, saying that, in the last three years, he has committed 20% of the annual budget to education, disclosing that, soon, he will be commissioning three smart schools within the month.
