The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said that online degrees remain unacceptable in Nigeria.
This was made known as the federal government approved the e-Learning programme of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
Besides NOUN, other institutions endorsed for e-Learning are University of Uyo, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and University of Maiduguri.
The federal government’s endorsement was communicated to NOUN in a statement issued by Ibrahim Usman Yakasai, NUC director of information and public relations.
The commission reaffirmed that “online degrees are not accepted at the moment in Nigeria”, however, “this does not include the approved Nigerian universities’ e-Learning programme run within the shores of Nigeria”.
“The Nigerian universities e-Learning programme is a legitimate and well thought out pilot e-learning initiative. It is a Public Private Partnership between the National Universities Commission (NUC), Park Associates E-Learning Group and four federal universities.”
“The commission wishes to use this medium to allay all fears and doubts concerning the legitimacy or NUC endorsement of the Nigerian universities’ e-Learning Programme.”
Yakasai urged students in the programme “to continue to pursue their studies without fear and prospective applicants are encouraged to enroll.”
In reaction to the development, Malam Ibrahim Sheme, NOUN’s director of media and publicity, said the approval confirms that NOUN is an Open and Distant Learning (ODL) institution “rather than a study-by-correspondence institution as some people erroneously think.”
