Nigeria’s continuous demonstration and unwavering commitment to education since independence is no doubt a commendable one. It must have occurred to the then Federal Government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari that the face-to-face classroom instructional delivery will contribute just little to the ever growing population of Nigeria; Hence the establishment of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in 1983. This development was however halted few months later in 1984 by the military government that overthrew the civilian government. Compelling reasons that initiated the establishment of the institution resurfaced coupled with new confrontations, thus; in 2002, the institution was resuscitated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The oblivious state of this rebirth to young and promising Nigerians remains a mystery. It is no news in Nigeria that a good number of young people spend 5 – 10 years seeking for admission into conventional universities as a result of avoidable impediments that span through; failure to meet Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) cut-off mark, poor performance in post UTME test, poor publicity of examination details, proximity of examination venue to applicants, candidate’s inability to me condition of the so-called “Admission Runs” among other factors contributing to the marathon quest for admission into Nigerian universities. As if the demanding entrance is not enough, there await prospective undergraduates, the perpetual strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the country. A situation which is almost gathering a “festival prestige” in the country, thereby forcing innocent students to a lengthen program instead of the normal years in school.

All these challenges do little to redirect Nigerian youths to seek redemption at NOUN where there is trouble-free entering and uninterrupted programs. NOUN like all other Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions, affords you to become a multi-dimensional professional after graduation. It is also worthy of note to state confidently that Nigeria University Commission (NUC), a body that is responsible for the regulation of activities of Nigerian Universities is also in charge of NOUN’s activities. It might also interest you to note that most of the courses due for accreditation were all assessed by the same NUC with about 97% success recorded by NOUN during the accreditation exercise.

There is an emphatic YES answer to the big question of whether NOUN graduates participate in the one year compulsory service by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). In fact, as I write, compilation of intending graduates for 2013/2014 NYSC exercise is ongoing. I can also tell you (intending undergraduates) that NOUN is gradually emerging from the numerous challenges that hindered the smooth delivery of service in the early years of resuscitation of the university. Unlike then, NOUN courses are now fully written and developed and are all accessible online with more than 50% of the developed course materials printed and re-printed. The courses that are yet to be printed are now being edited for final printing. In addition, all courses are now being produced in soft copies on Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD ROM) for students’ usage.

In her bid to curb the daunting challenges of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) faced by contemporary undergraduates, NOUN has an ICT based system for information dissemination and examination process which as a (young) student, I am a living witness. International recognition of NOUN over other universities is an irresistible factor to be considered by new generations with global aspiration; owing to her collaboration with international bodies such as; Commonwealth of Learning (COL), International Council for Distance Education (ICDE), Open University of United Kingdom (OUUK), Indira Ghandi National Open University (IGNOU) India, Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK), Athabaska University, Canada, University of South Africa (UNISA), Open University of Tanzania (OUT), to mention just a few.

In view of the forgoing, NOUN is no doubt, the best choice of institution for young and vibrant Nigerians whose endless quest for a university admission has driven most of them into the ever growing number of illiterates in the country.

DGR8
B.Sc. Mass Comm

Nice write up!

i nid advice plz.i want to study accounting.can i study d study materials and understand it.or i should write jamb again...i want to join noun next semester.plz z state of origin cert required during clearance!#up noun