FG tasks tertiary institutions on innovative policy to revamp educational system

Titus Akhigbe, Benin-City

The federal government has called on tertiary institutions in the country to think out of the box and come up with result-oriented innovations designed to revamp, re-engineer and reposition different segments of the nation’s educational system. The minister of education, Malam Adamu Adamu made the call during the commissioning of Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) and the second public lecture of the Edo University, Iyamho, Etsako West local government area. Adamu represented by Ifeoma Isiugo- Abanihe, registrar and chief executive officer, National Business and Technical Education Board, urged the university authorities to be proactive and work out collaborations with critical stakeholders in the industrial, manufacturing and agricultural sectors to take advantage of the learning management system. He noted that the commissioning of the facility would elevate the institution to the pedestal of a significant trail blazer in the use of productive digital education, within the West African sub-region. He said the learning management system fits into the broad objectives of the federal government ministerial strategic plan to offers a holistic approach that is interactive as well as comprehensive. The minister, also noted that as an innovative learning system with several advantages, the learning management system will not only be beneficial to the university, rather it will facilitate interaction among teachers, students, parents/guardians and other stakeholders as well as has the capacity to close existing gaps between the town and gown. “It is heart warming to note that the Edo University, Iyamho, is the first university in the West African sub-region to acquire the CANVAS learning management system which is globally acknowledged as the fastest growing learning management system, with more than 18 million users. “Mr Vice Chancellor, you and your management have blazed the trail by this singular act of appropriating the use of an innovative technology in teaching in teaching and learning which is the first of its kind in our clime. “Coincidentally, the topic of this second public lecture, “Learning Management System (LMS), A tool for the delivery of academic excellence in a world class university”, is quite opt as supports the vision of the university, to exploit cutting-edge technology in imparting productive knowledge to students, promoting student-centred and competence based learning. “Let me observe that this agrees with the federal government’s burning desire and efforts towards promoting functional education for global competiveness,” he said. Earlier, the acting Vice chancellor of the university, Emmanuel Aluyor, CANVAS learning management system is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of educational courses or training programs. Aluyor, said the software is used to create professionally structured course content, enables teachers to create customized tests for students, accessible and submitted online. He added that it was in pursuant of the mandate to deliver quality education for development that the school decided to acquire “CANVAS” as the institution’s learning management system. In his lecture, Peter Okebukola, former, executive secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) said no fewer than 60 percent undergraduate projects in Nigerian universities are plagiarized. Okebukola, also accused Nigeria lecturers of plagiarism their teaching and learning works, Doctor students results.