Nigeria’s infrastructure can’t run 100% e-learning – NUC

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said Nigeria cannot operate 100 per cent e-learning in view of challenges of infrastructure, power, and internet access.

NUC’s Deputy Executive Secretary (Academics) Dr Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abuja, expressed concern over integrity issues surrounding the operation of the mode of learning in the country.

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Ramon-Yusuf said e-learning must pass the integrity test before it can be fully embraced.

“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 on evidence basis.

“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.

While noting that no one can decree e-learning in Nigeria before the end of this year, he said: “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 mind-set shift.”

Ramon-Yusuf also noted that many academic staff in universities were not up to speed in terms of the digital competences that they require to be able to operate meaningfully in a virtual learning environment.

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