Nigeria lack basic requirement for efficient e-learning –NUC

Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said that Nigeria cannot efficiently operate e- learning programs in its universities as practiced in developed countries due to lack  of infrastructure, electricity supply and internet access.

According to the commission, for the country to achieve this, it must articulate the requirements for e- learning, put in place the right infrastructures as well as train teachers to enable them get a mind-set shift.

“We need to sit down and articulate the requirements for e-learning: materials, men and women, infrastructure; what should we put in place, how should we proceed; we can’t do e-learning today in Nigeria. What we can do is blended learning’’, he said.

Speaking while fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja, the NUC’s Deputy Executive Secretary (Academics) Dr Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf who also expressed concern  over integrity issues surrounding the operation of the mode of learning in the country insisted that  e-learning must pass the integrity test before being fully embraced.

READ ALSO: Nigeria’s importation from China hits N1.26trn in Q2 – NBS

“We want to ensure that when there is e-learning in place, it would be run in such a manner that every student is accounted for, every student has an e-portfolio which enables everyone to know that it is this student that registered for this course and it is that same student that has been doing the assessment test and the examination; and that learning is taking place in an evidence basis.

 “Anybody who is making noise that e-learning must start tomorrow is either mischievous or ignorant.”

“If he knows what e-learning entails, no one can decree e-learning in Nigeria before the end of this year.

“We need to plan; we need to invest; we need to train. After putting all the infrastructures in place, we need training of teachers. You must get them to have a mindset shift’’, he added.

According to him, private open universities will come on board when all stakeholders are satisfied that the country has what it takes to guarantee quality and integrity of the e-learning programme, in order not create a window for the proliferation of worthless certificates under e-learning.

He further said the e-learning mode must be based on integrity, verifiable quality as each learner must be accounted for in terms of the competencies that they have acquired so that they can be worthy in character and learning.

Daily Times reports that Ramon-Yusuf also noted that many academic staff in universities is not quite up to speed in terms of the digital competencies that they require to be able to operate meaningfully in a virtual learning environment.

While disclosing that the commission was reviewing its 2009 guidelines on e-learning to prepare the grounds for effective e-learning in the country, he assured that the new guidelines would be announced as soon the process is completed.

“We are preparing grounds for e-learning; our new guidelines are being reviewed; NUC will announce these new guidelines,” he said.