VICTOR C. ARIOLE argues that the Open distance learning will help million of youths to receive university education
According to the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG) Professor Folasade Ogunsola, Open Distance Learning (ODL), known in Unilag as Distance Learning Institute (DLI) now re-positioned by its Director, Professor Risikat Oladoyin Dauda, awards the same degree without discrimination of value as awarded to Unilag conventional and regular students. For her, with 89 million youths in between the ages of 15 and 30 years in Nigeria seeking to be “future ready” in the way they do things so as to remain relevant, the use of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) must factor-in philosophical intents to neutralize algorithm biases – input African biases also – so as to assure outcomes that contribute to building the society Africans need, and is adaptable to changes.
In the same arena, Nurudeen Alao Auditorium, on the 25th August, 2026, the 5th International Colloquium of DLI – expanding learning opportunities – Professor Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President of Nigeria, expressed his support for the new contents of Unilag DLI. According to Osinbajo, with 236 million Nigerians come 2036, and three million youths applying to access university education, DLI will no longer be an alternative but could be the main means of educating the youths. What is more, technology is to be used to do that and it must not be seen as the main purpose of education. The main purpose of education is human development not technology development, hence technology must be used to think out how three million youths could be tutored and developed to serve humanity. It is a great responsibility for DLI and must be matched with appropriate technology and stable power supply. Professor Dauda sees it as the great challenge facing her DLI, and that expected additional technical courses to borrow Ghanaian experience need great tools.
In the same Auditorium with no fewer than 4,000 audience besides those in virtual attendance, international presenters like Professor Stephen Brown with 46 years experience in United Kingdom’s Open University, Professor Femi Peters, Immediate Past VC of Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Dr. Liz Marr, Fellow, Centre for Online and Distance Education University of London, Professor Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto of Digital Youth Village Development of University of Ghana, Professor Muhammed Bashir Mu’azu, Director of Ahmadu Bello University DLI and UNESCO Consultant, as well as Professor Francis Egbokhare former President of Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) inspired the audience with their experiences and prospects of ODL.
For Professor Stephen, UK conceived its own ODL to allow for fair and equal access to university education with a policy mix of: future of ageing population, where such ageing population could be located, in-house capability of a university to deliver, constant meeting of stakeholders to discuss priorities and benefits; and alignment with regulator’s demands. Like expected by the Unilag Vice Chancellor, it must be hybrid – online and on campus students’ interaction to eliminate value pollution or degeneration.
Prof. Femi sums it up by linking ODL success to the architecture designed for its operations; that is, appropriate technology, incessant interaction of the various tools within the ecosystem of its operations – portals: courses, finance, learning, assessment, control; all the tools talking to one another. It is like culturing an embryo or even bacteria in the laboratory, no breach of operations till the expected outcome is attained. Once a student is registered on the portal, their behavior must be accounted for by all the tools deployed till their exit date. The Ghanaian experience seems more challenging as drop-out rate is high according to Professor Aheto. To counter it, Alumni members are incorporated in the architecture to “prompt and pamper” students who are already in the architectural loop and to keep on encouraging them to continue, and it is as seen in what he says is limited to ten technical universities. Hence, in Ghana, it is aimed at producing technical professionals. Ghana has a population of about 36 million people – almost like Lagos State alone – with 15 national public universities as well 10 technical universities operating under the orbit of University of Ghana, Legon. They are all funded by the Government and their collective population is about 600,000. Compared to about 2.5 million in Nigerian Universities Ghana seems relatively better in forward looking than Nigerian. In effect, it is like One to every 60 Ghanaian has fair access to University education as technical universities oblige, whereas it is One to every 150 Nigerian as conventional non-technical input dominates. Effective operation of ODL in the technical sphere could be made to be fairly accessible to Nigerians and as NUC (Nigerian Universities Commission) representative, Dr. Funmilayo Morebise, Director ODL hinted in her intervention, NUC is in the process of specifying what micro-credential means for the acceptability of ODL graduates as effective in awarding Technical Degrees; that is, liaising with industries to make such prospective graduates industry ready, knowledgeable, or for accumulating years or months of experiences before graduating as they are exposed intermittently to relevant industries; hence bridging the gap between working experience and fresh graduation. Unilag has it as simulation/incubations unit. It is viewed as skills obtained while pursuing a degree programme.
Unlike Ghana, Nigeria is replete with Technical/Engineering Degree holders to an extent that Polytechnics and Colleges of Agriculture, Technology and Education are being converted to Universities or Degree – awarding institutions. What seems lacking in Nigeria are the industries to showcase the knowledge content of Nigeria’s degree holder; and policymakers, government are to open up the economy to diverse economic activities with chain values that allow the employment of degree holders or make room for them to embark on small scale industries as entrepreneurs that satisfy such created industries. For example, creating modular or mini refineries in about 10,000 communities in Nigeria, joined with 10,000 clinics could absorb no fewer than 100,000 youths at work, given the subsidiary jobs that go with them and their value chain. That was an observation made in Brazil’s mineral region of Belo Horizonte; almost 100% employment rate.
Nigeria is neither UK nor Ghana, hence as advised by the former Vice President of Nigeria, education must serve human development, and the three million youths not absorbed in the University system come 2036 must be helped by ODL to develop themselves in whichever sphere Nigeria nay Africa’s industrial outreach permits.
Ariole is Professor of French and Francophone Studies, University of Lagos