The acting executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki, has urged university administrative staff to acquire relevant computer software for the virtual learning environment as ICT literacy was no longer sufficient.
Maiyaki stated this while delivering a lecture at the maiden Miva Open University Public Lecture on Wednesday in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme, ‘The Changing Role of University Administrators in an Open Distance Learning (ODL) Setting’, he enumerated that administrative staff include those from the vice chancellor’s office to academic and non academic staff with assignments in the university and urged them to be prepared for full digital transformation.
“I must say that ICT literacy is no longer sufficient, but administrative staff must be prepared for full digital transformation. The administrative staff especially those in Miva and the open universities will require continuous training and retraining with modern techniques and skills including exposure to the best practices in order to cope with the ever- expanding nature of ODL,” he said.
“We must align ourselves with the style of leadership which fosters efficient and effective ODL delivery. Your role in that organisation is not to make it impossible for the organisation to thrive. It is for you to act as an equal stakeholder in your day-to- day choices in whatever you do so that this university’s name would outlive even its founding fathers,” he said.
He went further to task them on the need to embark on aggressive sensitisation and awareness campaigns towards addressing the misconception that the quality of degree obtained from the print and ODL mode of university education were the same.
“There would be no university if there are no students; therefore the administrative staff must organise students centered-activities,” Maiyaki advised.
Earlier, the vice chancellor of Miva Open University, Prof Tayo Arologun, stated that the topic was significant as the landscape of higher education was rapidly evolving and open distance learning stands at the forefront of the transformation.
“The impact of ODL on Nigeria’s economic development cannot be over stated. By breaking down barriers to education, ODL empowers the diverse population including those in remote and under-served areas to key in the skills and knowledge necessary for economic participation in order to increase workforce competence, entrepreneurial growth, economic inclusion, cost effective education and bridging skill gaps,” he said.