Former Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo has described the open university system as the future means of delivering effective higher education in Africa.
According to him, higher education in Africa cannot be effectively delivered to the number of those who want university degrees if they have to build physical universities to accommodate them.
Osinbajo stated this at the 2024 Matriculations of Miva Open University in Abuja, on Saturday.
He said: “Every year, more than 1.7 million applicants write the UTME exams conducted by JAMB. And an average of about 400,000 gain admission to the universities. So, there is 1.3 million, mostly young people, who annually are eligible but do not have an opportunity for university education.”
“Considering that Nigeria also is growing at about 6 million people every single year. There is absolutely no way that a brick-and-mortar approach to providing infrastructure for university education can ever work. We must also realize, and when I say we, I mean education policymakers, teachers, students, and employers of labour, that education as we knew it, is gone forever.”
Osinbajo, therefore, urged the matriculating students to go and have real success. He said, “That real success is not just doing well for a few years. Or gathering some internet followers for some time. Real success is leaving a lasting impact through your work. Your contributions to society, or the values that you are able to impart to others.
“It is about what endures beyond one’s immediate lifetime. What, then, are some of the critical must-haves or must-do’s for real success? The first is integrity. And integrity might sound like cliché today. But it is absolutely the cornerstone of real success.
“Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Be known for your consistency in applying high moral values or principles. If you borrow money, repay. Don’t make promises you can’t fulfil; integrity pays. It is getting scarce. It’s getting more difficult to find people of integrity. So, it is in demand. And I can say that because people of integrity are in demand, they are much sought after by everyone.
“Even thieves are looking for men and women of integrity to keep their stolen money with. Life is a marathon. It’s not a hundred meter dash. The person who will last that marathon is a trustworthy person. Because trust is the currency of business and interpersonal relationships. If you are known to have no integrity, everyone will soon know it. And because many of the best opportunities you will get will be based on recommendations, it is easy to become marketable.”
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