Open and Distance Learning for Sustainable Development

This shortfall assumes an annual injection of 72,000 teachers into the system from Colleges of
Education. The problem of teacher shortage in the education system present a most daunting
challenge to the realisation of theMDGs.
Producing Teachers Through the Open and Distance Learnng (ODL) Mode
The School of Education (SOE) employs best practices in the use of ODL for Teacher Education
as part of current efforts to riase the general and specific education of teachers towards the
production of highly skilled and efficient personnel for the educatin system.
At the SOE, several specialisation programmes such as B.Sc. Education – Biology, Chemistry,
Mathematics, Physics, Integrated Science, Information Technology for Teachers, Agricultural
Science, Business Education; B.A. Education – Early Childhood, Primary, English Languare,
French at the undergraduate level; Post-graduate Diploma in Education; M.Ed. – Educational
Administration & Planning, Science Education, Educational Technology and M.Sc. Science
Education have been selected to reflect several criteria, which include:
(a) National needs and employment opportunities
(b) Popular demand, learner needs
(c) Contemporary development in the private/business/commercial sector
(d) Availability of physical infrastructure
(e) Ease of material development and adaptation
(f) Availability of quality programmes both locally and overseas
(g) Ease with which a course could be modified/adapted to suit the Nigerian environment
(Federal Ministry of Education, 2002).
The Mission of National Open University of Nigeria is ‘To provide functional cost-effective
learning which adds life-long value to quality education for all who seek knowledge’. And its
Vission is ‘To be regarded as the foremost University providing highly accessible and enhanced
quality education anchored by social justice, equality and national cohesion through
comprehensive reach that transcends all barriers’. (FME, 2002).
Towards fulfilling this Vission and Mission, NOUN opens access toall those in need of tertiary
education without compromising quality.
The United States (USA), Britain, Germany, Japan and Italy attained greatness because of the
quality of their scientists, notably physicists. The US becomes a superpower and Japan is a
leading industrial nation because their physicists have greater scientific know-how and practice
thatn the rest of the world. A sound knowledge of physics and excellent understanding of its
concepts and principles ar highly essential for potential medical doctors, pharmacists, engineers,
engineers an other allied scientists.
The SOE is committed to provide wider access to professional training in different
specialisations.
It is therefore imperative for the SOE to develop the nation’s physics educator, chemistry
educator, biology educator, mathematics educator, language educator, French educator, Business
educator and integrated science educator. Distance Learners are exposed to well-rounded
education to meet the rigorous academic demands at the secondary school levels.
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