President Bola Tinubu has assured the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) of his government’s support to ensure the advancement of its Open and Distance Learning (ODL) structure.

Tinubu gave the assurance on Saturday in Abuja at the 14th convocation of the university, where the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas and Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank (AfDB), were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees.

While Abbas was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree of Doctor of Business Administrator, Adesina bagged an honorary doctorate degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

The President , who was represented by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, through Hajia, Rakiya Gambo, Director, Tertiary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, said NOUN would be strongly supported through Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund).

Tinubu said there was the need to advance technology in tertiary institutions to guarantee a robust learning especially for the ODL.

“The Federal Government under my leadership is committed to supporting education by leveraging information technology to enhance learning.

“Through strategic intervention, we are ensuring that education remains the key to our technological development.

“As such, the Federal Government through TetFund, is financing the fibre optic infrastructure at NOUN to provide seamless Internet access to substantial number of students at study centres across the go-political zones of the country.

“This initiative harnesses the power of technology to improve access to education as faster as possible.

“This university has benefitted immensely from various government intervention provided through TetFund and we remain committed to ensuring that possible financial resources are consistently provided for the advancement of education through ODL in Nigeria,” Tinubu said.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olufemi Peters, said NOUN had continued to receive requests for the establishment of additional study centres from prominent individuals, community leaders and associations.

This, he said, was a testament of the essential role the educational institution had played in serving the nation.

“To meet the demand of our expanding reach, we leverage cutting-edger Information and Communication Technology to enhance instructional delivery and improve learning outcomes.

“Our global learning culture is further enriched through innovative collaborations and partnerships with institutions such as the University of South Africa, the Open University, UK, the Open University of Tanzania and so on,” he said.

According to Peters, the 14th convocation was another opportunity for NOUN to celebrate the academic achievements of its students, out of which 17,420 graduated, comprising of 10,967 undergraduates and 6,413 postgraduate students.

The Pro-Chancellor of the University, Malam Isa Yuguda, had earlier urged the Federal Government to incorporate NOUN graduates into its National Youth Service Corps programme, to encourage more youths to enrol in the ODL structure.

Yuguda also appealed to the government to allow the admission of NOUN Law graduates into the Law School, to give room for more student to enrolment into the University Law Faculty. (NAN)