By our Reporter
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has matriculated 23,885 newly admitted students, with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, declaring that Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is the future of higher education.
Prof. Uduma made the declaration on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at the university’s 31st Matriculation Ceremony,which took place virtually across its study centres nationwide, where the new students were formally inducted into various academic programmes.
The Vice-Chancellor said the increasing adoption of ODL by conventional universities, coupled with the growing number of young Nigerians deliberately choosing NOUN, showed that the future of higher education was moving towards greater flexibility, accessibility, technology-driven learning and learner autonomy.
According to him, NOUN was established on the principle that geographical location, time, employment, family responsibilities, and other barriers should not determine access to quality university education.
