NOUN suspends law degree admission

The Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Abdalla Adamu yesterday said the university has suspended admission into its law degree programmes.

Adamu said this in Abuja when he visited the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof. Abubakar Rasheed in his office.

He said the suspension of admission into the programme followed advice by the National Universities Commission (NUC)? that students should be stopped from undertaking the course pending the resolution of the inability of its graduates to go to Law School like their counterparts from other universities.

The Council for Legal Education had exempted law graduates of Open University from attending Law School on the ground that the mode of study at the Open University is either by correspondence or part time.

Adamu said such interpretation of the Act establishing NOUN by CLE was at variance with the prevalent global understanding of the mode of instruction of Open University.

He said NOUN is an Open Distance Learning Institution (ODL) which according to him provides accessible, affordable and equitable education to millions of individuals who would work and learn at the same time due to their circumstances.

Prof. Adamu said: “We are praying to the ES to draw the attention of the CLE to the fact that NOUN as an ODL institution, does? not equate to part time or correspondence institution.

“In order to make things easier for everyone, we have accepted the NUC recommendation to halt admission into the programme until we streamline our activities with the CLE.

“For NUC to convince the CLE that we are an ODL institution, a proper and legitimate mechanism for education all over the world and in all domains, and therefore accept our graduates for admission into the Law School.

In his response, the NUC secretary said the Commission would seek audience with CLE in order to make the Council understands that NOUN is not a part-time or a correspondence programme.

He said: “It is a policy of Legal Education Council to deny certain category of students from going to Law School. NOUN is an ODL institution; this is the future of tertiary education in the world.

“NOUN has come with genuine defence. We will have to adjust to this reality of this open and distance which is threatening the character and nature of our tertiary institutions in the country. Digital revolution is one of the two revolutions of the recent decade that are changing the world.

“We are going to make a strong case, draw the attention of CLE to the fact that NOUN is an ODL and not a correspondence programme. This is a new method of learning ?globally.”