Nigerian Academics Must Be ICT Compliant - Okojie
The executive secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof Julius A. Okojie has decried the low deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
He made this statement, on August 31, at the 2015 conference on “Technology Assisted Learning in the Nigerian University System” co-hosted by the National Universities Commission, American University of Nigeria, and Digital Promise Global.
Delivering his welcome address, Prof Okojie, emphasized the need for government to fund the deployment of ICT to help in teaching and learning process instead of funding universities to build lecture theaters.
Advocating for the utilization of ICT especially via virtual learning, Prof Okojie praised the National Open University (NOA) for serving as the bridge between the offline and online learning methods.
“What we need is to use ICT to optimize learning in our universities. Electronic teaching is such that the students of tomorrow need the class in their palms.”
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He charged the academics to brace up and ensure that they are ICT compliant because the “next generation of students will be more knowledgeable than their teachers in Information Technology”.
Concerning the recent publication of universities that have not been approved by the commission, Prof Okojie called on the press to help in promoting activities of the commission in improving tertiary education in Nigeria.
“The press should help us. Nigerian students are employable, those who are not are coming from another source, and I do not know them.”
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The conference will be coming to an end tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1.
The conference was attended by Prof. Faborode, Prof. Elias Bogoro, Permanent Secretary, ministry of communication technology, permanent secretary, ministry of science and technology, and Former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Peter Okebukola.
Also in attendance was the acting permanent secretary, federal ministry of education, Hindatu Abdullahi, Director, Open and Distance Education, NUC, Dr. O.E. Adesina, and Prof. Bill Bertrand.
Not too long ago, about fifty seven illegal degree-awarding institutions operating in Nigeria were been blacklisted by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
According to Professor Julius Okojie, the executive secretary of the NUC, certificates obtained from the institutions listed would not be accorded recognition for the purpose of election and participation in the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC).
Source: Legit.ng
