The somewhat discouraging aspect of what I do is that, often times, it appears that policy makers get to consume some of the content I create and probably dismiss it as the rant of another frustrated Nigerian.
Do not get me wrong. I have seen a few recommendations made on this column implemented, whether coincidentally or not; I have just seen certain things happen.
I remember writing on the then dangerous plans by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to remove the Computer-Based Test for whimsical reasons and thankfully, that plan seems to have been jettisoned even though we are still making a mess of the whole process.
Right now, a similar reversion tendency is happening at the NOUN and unfortunately, it skipped me until a couple of students brought it to my attention. This prompted me to dig deeper.
The drastic decision of the current management of the National Open University of Nigeria to abruptly shut down the comprehensive iLearn platform and replace it with multiple weaker platforms, for me, is a fight against technology.
This singular action has rendered thousands of students devastated, distressed, dejected and any other “D” adjective you can use to qualify the offensive action.
This brings me to the question: why would an institution like NOUN seek to reinvent the wheel? Is there an assumption that Nigerian students are not tech-savvy enough?
Beside the negative implications that the decision had brought forth, it appears the present administration of NOUN does not see the future in technology, one of the greatest innovations that have transformed learning across the world.
As I write, I just completed the first step of a course run by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which will eventually qualify me to practice as a start-up coach and everything is being done online.
As a matter of fact, the goal of open and distance learning, which NOUN stands for, is to supplement admission to our regular tertiary institutions.
Many Nigerians who may have sought for admission into tertiary institutions without success have found NOUN as a reliable alternative to bagging their degrees in various disciplines.
The entire process of enrolment, lecture, submission of assignments, class work, examination and other forms of support were simplified as a result of a technology-enabled platform (iLearn).
These are some of the reasons the majority of NOUN alumni were able to acquire their degrees while still working. They enjoyed some high level of flexibility, which NOUN had provided for over the years through robust ICT deployment. — Finish Reading on the Punch
