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The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is seeking to build synergy with two agencies in the ministry of communications: National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as part of the moves to deepen NOUN’s engagement of technology to provide higher educational services.
In recent separate visits to headquarters of NITDA and NCC in Abuja, NOUN asked for support of the two telecom and IT regulatory agencies believing that the agencies could help the university strengthen its ICT capacity to deliver its core objectives of distance education that leverages on technology resource.
L-R: Prof. Christine Ofulue, Director Research Admin & Advancement; Prof Nebath Tanglang, Representative of VC NOUN; Ephraim Nwokenneya Director Research and Development NCC; Prof Grace E. Johthan, Director ACETEL NOUN; Dr. Henry Nkemadu, Head Special Intervention projects NCC
In NITDA, the delegation led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, discussed the possibility of partnering with NITDA in areas that include policy engagement, it infrastructure development and capacity building within the sphere of emerging technologies.
“NOUN needs your support to continuously meets its objectives,” said Prof. Adamu. While responding, Director General, NITDA, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami commended the university for opting to leverage emerging technologies to expand its services.
“We cannot develop ICT by maintaining the status quo, we need people who think outside the box and who can come up with disruptive innovations,” said Pantami even as he assured the NOUN of NITDA’s continuous support.
The NOUN would also receive similar assurance from the telecom regulator, NCC during another courtesy visit. Prof. Adamu, who was represented by Prof Nebath Tanglang, called on the NCC to partner with the NOUN in the implementation of a World Bank grant to the African Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhance Learning.
Tanglang said the Centre competed for and won the World Bank grant which is meant for the procurement of tools, conduct of research focused on new ICT tools, and to find solutions to the challenges of academic component of technology deployment for learning.
The NOUN would need the expertise of the NCC in ensuring an optimal execution of the project, said Tanglang.
His words: “The Centre is determined to leverage the affordances of technology to bring about better access to quality education. The new project therefore demands a fast working pace, and in order to reach the scale the project requires, NOUN is seeking collaboration with partners in the ICT sector.”
NCC’s Director of Research and Development, Ephraim Nwokonneya,who received the NOUN team on behalf of the EVC/CEO of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, expressed the commission’s appreciation to the visiting team and promised to convey its request to the EVC for consideration and appropriate action.
