National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved the establishment and running of four more programmes at the Distance Learning Centre (DLC) of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, for the 2023/2024 academic session.
The programmes are B.Sc Mass Communication, Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS), Masters in Accounting, and Masters in Disaster and Risk Management (MDRM).
This brings to 21 the total number of academic programmes established and runs at the centre, which had only six programmes as of 2020.
According to the director of public affairs at ABU, Zaria, Auwalu Umar, this is contained in a letter from the NUC dated June 11, 2024, and signed by the commission’s acting director, Open Distance and e-Learning, Dr Funmilayo Morebise. The letter conveyed the approval to the vice-chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The letter titled, “Notification of Result of Programme Pre-validation Assessment Visit to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Distance Learning Centre,” explained that the approval followed the NUC five-member panel’s programme pre-validation visit to the centre in April.
The objective of the visit was to assess the human, material, and infrastructural resources available for delivering the programmes via open and distance learning (ODL) mode. According to the letter, the commission considered the panel’s report.
The panel confirmed the availability of the required skilled human resources, learning resources, ICT infrastructure, and a robust learning support framework necessary for effectively delivering content and running the programmes.
“Having considered the panel’s findings and recommendations that the Distance Learning Centre of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has satisfied critical areas of human, ODL infrastructure and course materials requirements for the commencement of the four proposed programmes via the ODL mode, the commission consequently upholds the recommendations of the panel for the validation of the four proposed programmes,” it said.
The statement also said that the commission urged the centre to implement the panel’s recommendations to ensure the quality of the programmes’ delivery.
