Twenty-five inmates from some correctional centres are among the 22,250 students that will graduate from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on Saturday.
Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Olufemi Peters, revealed this today during a press conference at the NOUN headquarters in Abuja, held as part of preparations for the university’s
11th Convocation ceremony.
Addressing his press conference since his election as VC last year, Peters said out of the 22,250 graduands, 16,679 are undergraduates, 5,571 are postgraduate students and 25 are inmates.
One of the inmates is a masters degree student, he said.
The VC expressed appreciation for the support the media has been giving the university, saying he hoped that his meeting them today would be the beginning of a lasting relationship.
Peters also told the journalists that a public lecture would be held on Friday by Professor Osita Ogbu as part of the convocation activities.
Responding to a question, he assured that every academic programme the NOUN offers is accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
On the issue of NOUN graduates attending the Nigerian Law School, he said NOUN law graduates are now being admitted by the school under a special arrangement and they are blazing the trail at the school.
According to him, the Council for Legal Education, which runs the law school, is considering reviewing the terms it gave to the NOUN after realising that NOUN law graduates have a well-rounded education like those in the conventional universities.
On the democraphics for admission into the NOUN, he pointed out that in recent years more and more teenagers are enrolling, as opposed to the past years when more mature students enrolled, hence the change of the university’s motto.
He noted that the change in demographics has alerted the university to the need for it to move with the times, which it has already done with its incorporation of technology in its day-to-day operations.
The VC explained that this year’s convocation ceremony will take place simultaneously at the headquarters in Abuja and at the various NOUN study centres across the country except 48 centres whose graduands have been merged with those in the state capitals due to their small numbers.
He said the simultaneous nature of the event has made it easy for parents to attend their children’s convocation ceremonies without having to travel all the way to Abuja.
In his welcome address, the Director of Media and Publicity, NOUN, Malam Ibrahim Sheme, appreciated the mass media for its unwavering support, saying he hoped the jpurnalists would sustain their support in the years to come.
He noted that the media serve as a bridge between the university and the general public.
