The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has matriculated 28,514 new students to study various courses in different faculties of the university.
In his speech at the 26th matriculation ceremony, held in Abuja on Friday, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Olufemi Peters, said out of the total number of new intakes, 21,026 students are for undergraduate programmes and 7,460 are postgraduate students.
In a press statement, signed by the Director, Media and Publicity, NOUN, Ibrahim Sheme, the Vice Chancellor also revealed that 28 postgraduate students were registered for doctorate degrees.
Prof. Peters was qouted as saying, “By this, you have today become members of our Open and Distance Learning (ODL) community comprising of about a total of 150,000 students in 120 Study Centres across the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“Many people will be interested in your academic performance and character. I implore you, therefore, to be good and worthy ambassadors of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
“I look forward to congratulating you at the completion of your studies when you will join other successful colleagues at Convocation for the award of certificates and prizes, which is your reward and evidence of preparedness to surmount challenges of life beyond our walls, virtual and physical.”
He observed that this was the wish of every new student, including his/her families, friends, stakeholders and dependants.
“This is also what our country, Nigeria, needs to rise and attain its place of greatness in the global and competitive world of today and the future,” he added.
Speaking on the relevance of Open and Distance Learning (ODL), Prof. Peters said: “It enables you to learn at your choice of place and pace, whatever your social or religious status and other engagements, such as a vocation or employment. It does require you to create the time and discipline for a copious amount of self-study.
“It is quite different from a conventional university system where you must attend lectures in a classroom or auditorium always.”
He assured the new entrants that they would have access to a number of facilities necessary for their study, including physical and e-library facilities which provide over 40,000 titles of books and journals, facilitation rooms, science laboratories, halls for in-person and e-exams, and in some special centres, incubation facilities for entrepreneurship-minded students for their training and development at their study centres.
