About the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) formally took of in the year 2002, with a series of planning activities.  The University was first established in July 1983, closed a few months later in 1984 because of various defects and reasons which the Federal Government felt should be corrected.
                                               
The National Policy on Education is very explicit in referring to what is now known as Open and Distance Education (ODE).  It describes it as a system which encompasses education for all, education for life, life long learning, life-wide education, adult education, mass education, media-based education, self learning, personalised learning, part-time studies, and much more.  The policy has practically been demonstrated in the rebirth of the National Open University of Nigeria, whose major purpose is to make education available to as many people as have the ability and are willing and ready to benefit from the quality education provided through a flexible and affordable distance learning.

The Vision

The National Open University of Nigeria is to be regarded as the foremost university providing highly accessible and enhanced quality education anchored by social justice, equity, equality and national cohesion through a comprehensive reach that transcends all barriers.

Mission

The university’s goal is to provide cost-effective, flexible learning which adds life-long value to quality education for all who seek knowledge.
              
              

Objectives

In addition to the broad vision and mission statements, some of the major objectives of the National Open University are to:

•  ensure equity and equality of opportunities in education generally but specifically in university   education.
•  provide a wider access to education generally but specifically university education in Nigeria
•  enhance education for all and life long learning
•  ensure the entrenchment of global culture.
•  provide educational resources via an intensive use of information and communication technology.
•  provide flexible but qualitative education.
•  reduce the cost, inconveniences and hassles of education delivery.

Expected Outcomes

It is expected that the National Open University of Nigeria will, among other things, do the following:

• Raise the literacy level in Nigeria.
• Substantially increase access to university education.
• Widen the catchment scope of beneficiaries of university education, thus reaching the hitherto unreachable and ensuring that nobody interested in, and capable of having university education, is left out.
• Help Nigerians to be on the right side of the digital divide.
• Enhance and facilitate workplace training and professional development.
• Meet the yearnings of Nigerians for university education.
• Reduce the pressure on university places in the conventional universities.

Schools and Institutes of the University

With a view to developing interdisciplinary studies, the National Open University of Nigeria operates through schools, institutes, and Learners’ Support Services.  Each school is headed by a Dean, while the institutes and learners’ support services are headed by Directors.  The Deans and Directors are made up of highly skilled faculty members belonging to requisite specialisation in the relevant discipline.  The Schools of Studies, Institutes, and Learners’ Support System currently in operation include:

• School of Arts and Social Sciences
• School of Business and Human Resources Management
• School of Education
• School of Science and Technology
• Centre For Continuing Education and Workplace Training
• Regional Training & Research Institute for Open and Distance Learning.

 

The CEMBA/CEMPA programmes are offered by the School of Business and Human Resources Management, and are coordinated by a Programme Leader.  Being international programmes, the overall administration in Nigeria is through the National Open University of Nigeria.

Collaboration with the BBC World Service

The BBC World Service in London has commissioned Charles Handy, formally a professor at the London Business School, and now an independent writer, broadcaster and social philosopher, to prepare The Handy Guide to Gurus of Management.  Further details of the programme and other information about BBC materials can be found in Section 4 of this prospectus.

 

IMPROVE YOUR MANAGEMENT SKILL WITH BBC WORLD SERVICE

BBC World Service, which broadcasts in 43 languages to a global audience of 153 million people around the world, supports the Commonwealth Executive MBA/MPA, and wishes its students the best of luck, as they undertake this important academic challenge.

We are supporting the programme in various ways.  We commissioned Charles Handy, who was for many years a professor at the London Business School and is now an independent writer, broadcaster, and social philosopher, to prepare “The Handy Guide to The Gurus of Management”, as a kind of “essential introduction” to a course of this type.  The Guide is a radio series, a total of 12 programmes lasting 15 minutes each, first broadcast in our World Learning strand of educational programmes, during the last three months of 2001.  You can hear this series – which looks at the work of twelve management gurus including Peter Drucker, Tom Peters, Sumantra Ghosal, Kenichi Ohmae, and Bill Gates – and many other series about work, management, and career development issues - online on the BBC World Service Learning, English website (see below).

You may also want to brush up on your English.  We can help there too. Working with the Commonwealth of Learning, we will be distributing a special booklet to all the CEMBA/CEMPA students, called The Business – English at work: People, Skills, and Language.  If for whatever reason you don’t get one, you can write or email us at the address below and we will send you one (be sure to mention you are a CEMBA/CEMPA student.)

we suggest you visit the World Service site at http://www.bbcworldservice.com.