NOUN holds public lecture on distance learning

Prof. Asha Kanwar, a commonwealth education expert, is expected to give the first public lecture being arranged by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

This information is contained in a statement signed by the institution’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Ibrahim Sheme, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

According to the statement, the lecture with the theme: “Can ODL reach the Unreached?; Lessons from the Commonwealth’’, will hold at the National Universities Commission (NUC) auditorium, Abuja.

The statement noted that the lecture would attempt to expose the benefits of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) education, how effective it had been and the challenges facing it, especially in sub-Sahara Africa.

It added that the lecturer, Prof. Kanwar, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), an inter-governmental organisation.

The statement noted that the organisation was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government to promote the development and sharing of open learning and distance education.

It was also established to promote knowledge in generating resources and technologies.

According to the statement, the COL, which is based in Canada, is the world’s only inter-governmental organisation for the promotion and development of distance education and open learning.

It noted that the organisation was also helping developing nations to improve access to quality education and training.

Kanwar, who became the head of the institution in June 2012, was a consultant in ODL at UNESCO’s Regional Office for Education in Africa in Dakar, Senegal.