Date: 2017-08-18

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali (OON), has stressed the importance of open and distance learning centres in widening access to university education and satisfying social responsibilities to the community as well as being a major source of internally generated revenue for higher institutions in the country.

Prof. Ambali made this observation penultimate Tuesday (July 25, 2017) while declaring open a two-day workshop organised by the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL), University of Ilorin, in conjunction with the Centre for Research Development and In-House Training (CREDIT) for the staff of CODL as well as the academic staff of the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin.

The Vice-Chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice –Chancellor (Research, Technology and Innovation), Prof. Gabriel Olatunji, noted that the Centre could be a main contributor to the University's internally generated revenue like its counterparts like the Institute of Education and the Ilorin Business School.

He assured the Centre of the management's readiness to adequately fund its proper take-off but that this good intention had been hampered by the general poor economic condition of the country, which equally affected the University system. Prof. Ambali, however, promised that the management would do its best to ensure that the Centre becomes financially buoyant, especially with the expected collaboration with the Institute of Education.

In her own remarks, the Chairperson of the Board of the Open and Distance Learning Centre, who is also the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Ijaiya, stressed the importance of staff training and pointed out that the University of Ilorin had been committed to the training of her staff over the years.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Director of CODL, Prof. Ayodele Fajonyomi, stated that the workshop, the second of its kind in the life of the Centre, was orgarnised to acquaint new staff of the Centre and the staff of the collaborating Department of Computer Science with the required knowledge and skill in open and distance learning delivery system.