Despite Nigeria’s soaring demand for higher education, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) says its Distance Learning Institute (DLI) has fewer than 12,000 students enrolled.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Folasade Ogunsola said the figure was far too low for a country of Nigeria’s size, with over 1.9 million candidates sitting university entrance examinations each year and only a fraction gaining admission.
“The real challenge is how we will get more people, because Nigeria is so large. So, in terms of numbers, we are not there yet,” she told participants at the institute’s fourth international colloquium in Lagos.
She added that the DLI, once restricted to learners above 30, is now open to younger students in a bid to attract more enrolments.
The institute has faced complaints about poor internet access and limited recognition of its graduates in the job market. Prof Ogunsola said UNILAG was working to raise standards, ensuring DLI students met the same benchmarks as their full-time counterparts.
Director of the DLI, Prof Risikat Dauda, stressed that expanding access through distance learning was vital if Nigeria is to tackle its education crisis, with millions of children still out of school.
