Babcock University (BU), Ilishan, Ogun State, has joined the league of universities licensed to run open distance and e-learning programmes in Nigeria. This makes it the second private university among more than 90 federal and state universities in the country to be so licensed.
The approval is coming barely three months after the validated status recommended by the National Universities Commission (NUC), in conjunction with experts of Open & Distance Learning.
The NUC’s deputy executive secretary (academics), Dr. Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf, expressed pleasure at the approval for the Babcock University Centre for Open, Distance and E-Learning (BUCoDEL) to commence academic activities, following due diligence.
The centre will now commence operations with BSc. Accounting programme via the ICT-enabled Supported Blended Learning model of Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODL). Addition of new programmes will be on individual programme basis, subject to NUC’s pre-assessment and approval.
The approval not only marks a significant milestone for BU as Nigeria’s premier private university, but affirms the centre’s preparedness to raise the stakes of education in Nigeria with the prerequisite facilities and resources to run ODL programmes professionally.
Vice-chancellor of BU, Prof. Ademola Tayo, has consistently affirmed the administration’s determination to uphold the BU institutional core values in the centre’s operations of the ODL programmes in Nigeria.
For BUCoDEL’s director, Prof. Mobola Sotunsa, the long wait is over and the journey of excellence has begun.