Unilag expands access to education with open distance learning

Professor Folasade Ogunsola, Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG) in Nigeria, announced that the university’s Distance Learning Institute (DLI) will award degrees equivalent to those earned by on-campus students.

She explained that this initiative aims to prepare Nigeria’s 89 million youths aged 15 to 30 for the future, emphasizing the need to integrate African perspectives into artificial intelligence to build a relevant society.

During the 5th International Colloquium of the DLI, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo supported the expansion of open distance learning, predicting it will become the primary way to educate Nigeria’s projected 236 million citizens by 2036, with three million applying for university each year. Osinbajo stressed that technology should support human development, not replace it, and that the DLI faces the challenge of providing appropriate technology alongside a stable power supply. International experts shared their experiences with open distance learning.

Professor Stephen Brown of the United Kingdom’s Open University described a model focused on fair access, considering factors like an aging population and stakeholder input. Professor Femi Peters of Nigeria’s National Open University emphasized the importance of a well-integrated technological architecture, where all learning tools communicate seamlessly to track student progress. Ghana’s approach, which incorporates alumni support to reduce dropout rates in its technical universities, was also presented as a model, with one university place available for every 60 citizens.

UNILAG is also developing a simulation/incubation unit to provide skills training while students earn their degrees.