Adelaja Adeoye's Blog: 2012-11-18

OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING AN IMPERATIVE TOOL FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMICAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

(A STUDY OF DLI, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS)

ADEOYE, AZEEZ ADELAJA

Matric Number (071004003)

A PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, DISTANCE LEARNING INSTITUTE (DLI), UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (B.SC), MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

NOVEMBER 2012

CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that this project was carried out by ADEOYE, AZEEZ ADELAJA with matriculation number 071004003 under a close supervision, and is being considered as meeting the requirement for the award of Bachelor of Science (Bsc) Degree of Mathematics Education of the University Of Lagos Akoka, Nigeria

………………………… …………………………… SUPERVISOR HEAD OF DEPT

…………………………… ………………………… DATE DATE

DEDICATION

This project is dedicated to the Almighty God who has kept me alive and guided me throughout the period of the research work and study years at the University of Lagos. The project is also dedicated to my families, wife, friends and all those who supported me morally, financially and in one way or the other.

I will also use this medium to express my in-depth gratitude to Dr. Adewara Johnson, a student friendly Lecturer, Leader, and a supervisor. God Almighty will continue to elevate you in your Endeavour

Finally, I dedicate the project to entire students of the Distance Learning Institute, University of Lagos (UNILAG) for the great time we shared together during my undergraduate program. May God Bless you All

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

First to be acknowledged is God Almighty for his love and his infinite mercies towards me for giving me the needed courage, strength and wisdom to successfully complete my undergraduate programme and this research project.

Special thanks and acknowledgement goes to my former Director of DLI, UNILAG Prof Olufunke Lawal, and Deputy Director Dr M.P Kuton. My most gracious Acknowledgement goes to Dr. Adewara Johnson, my project supervisor, who successfully guided me throughout my research work to ensure my final year graduation is made possible

My acknowledgement goes to my course Adviser Mr. GboyegaOkunuga

My Acknowledgement goes also to all the Lecturers in the department of Mathematics, faculty of science UNILAG and Faculty of Education University of Lagos for their immense support, guidance, tutoring, lecturing and training me to become a better citizen.

Finally, I want to specially recognize and acknowledge all my friends whom we share good times together in the Distance Learning institute Student Association (DLISA UNILAG 2010/2012). May God be with you All.

ABSTRACT

The principal purpose for this project work is to lay emphasis on the need of all concern to concentrate and give more attention to the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) project in Nigeria as a resourceful tool, mechanism that can assist in educational development, economical development, and means of gaining global and national recognition for standard quality assurance in Educational Sector.

The need for full adoption of ODL in Nigeria is enormous and urgent because apart from the development in terms of human capacity development, information and communication technologies (ICT), provision of access to the teeming and yearning student populations that are willing to acquire university education, it will also in addition create more jobs, more business and more conducive teaching and Learning environment for the Large student population because of its flexibility.

The project will also beam light on the need for every stakeholder in Nigerian Educational sector, Universities and other related sectors to fully accept and invest massively in open and distance Learning (ODL) because of its unending profit and rewards.

The Project will also look at some of the problems and challenges that are militating against ODL and give recommendations of the way out.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Title Page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgment iv

Abstract v

Table of Content vi

CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1

1.0 Background of the study 1

1.1 Statement of the Problem 2

1.2 Aim and Objectives 4

1.3 Relevant research questions 5

1.4 Significance of the study 5

1.5 Scope of the study 6

1.6 Definition of Terms 8

Reference 9

CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review 10

2.0Preamble 10

2.1 Theoretical framework of the study 11

2.2 Empirical Review of Previous Work in the Area of Studies 15

2.3 Education and the Millennium Development Goals 17

Reference 27

CHAPTER THREE: Research Methodology 28

3.0 Preamble 28

3.1 Research Design 28

3.2 Population of the Study 28

3.3 Sampling, Procedure and sample size 28

3.3.1 Characteristics of the Sampling 29

3.3.2 Sample Size 29

3.4 Data Collection Instrument and Validation 30

3.5 Questionnaire Design 30

3.6 Method of Data Analysis 30

Reference 32

CHAPTER FOUR: Data Presentation and Analysis 33

4.0 Preamble 33

4.1 Presentation and Analysis of Data 34

4.2 Tests for Hypothesis 42

4.3 Discussion of Finding 46

CHAPTER FIVE: 48

5.0 Summary 48

5.1 Conclusion 49

5.2 Recommendation 50

Bibliography 51

Questionnaire 52

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom. It has been described as "a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both. Distance education courses that require a physical on-site presence for any reason (including taking examinations) have been referred to as hybridor blendedcourses of study. The project work will duel more on the economical advantage to the Nigeria National development and workable systems and solutions to educational development in Nigeria by formal proposal and adoption of open and distance leaning as a meaningful tool to Nations Developments.

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) evolved from correspondence learning; from print materials as mode of contents delivery it has metamorphosed into what we called distance education, online education, e-learning, or online education today.

It is the mode of delivery that has made the physical distance from a university or tertiary institution an insignificant constraint in the access to higher education as instructional materials are now easily converted into cost-effective and portable audio, video and mobile formats. The herald of the internet also gives credence to this new way of delivering education contents to disperse students in remote geographical areas globally.

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The revolution of information technology use is very significant than any previous revolution (Taylor, 1999). It has been estimated that the internet reached 50 million users in 5 years compared with radio that took 38 years to reach the same number, and television which took 13 years to reach 50 million users (Hayes, 1998). The coverage of technology is very high (for example, a fibre optic cable can now carry 1.5million conversations simultaneously) and thus the economy of scale can be exploited when technology is adopted. Also, the cost of access to information communication technologies continues to fall (Woodall, 1997c: the cost of computer power in 1997 only .001% of what it did in the early 1970s; Bill Gates told the Senate Judiciary that ‘the cost of computing has decreased 10 million fold since 1976). Therefore, adoption of technology is beneficial for an institution in economic sense at least in the short run. Technology can play a very crucial role in ODL system. To enhance the effectiveness and the quality of ODL programmes, it is widely agreed that necessity to adopt technologies is sky rocketed. Technologies can squeeze the so-called quality gap in ODL as compared to the conventional on-campus education system by enhancing teacher-student interaction. That means, adoption of technology can make the ODL programmes both effective in terms of quality and efficient in terms of cost sharing. Opportunities of economies of scale can be exploited much in the ODL programmes if technologies are used in delivery of the educational materials. However, it is also paradoxically evident that inappropriate adoption of a new technology sometimes causes permanent cost increase, wastage of human and economic resources and unfortunate quality shirking in the programmes - leaves some white elephants for the institution. This situation fits very well with the reality of the developing countries. In the process of gulping the futile imported development syrup advised by the ODL consultants or to show up with some conspicuous updates of the system or to fulfill the commitments to the donors of educational aid, ODL institutions in the developing countries adopt some unnecessary technologies that cause some permanent financial burden on their shoulders. We must be careful in adopting a technology. We shouldn’t use technology for the sake of technology. Choosing a technology wrongly not only the institution creates an unnecessary financial burden for it but also the students will be impacted/suffered by the wrong technology choice constantly. It is very important to make the best decisions possible in choosing a technology. We must remember that a technology choice can speed up the students’ learning, or slow it down. It can transparently support an activity or can create a barrier in the way of its completion. It can make their experience richer, or frustrate them and cause them to question why the technology was ever selected. Therefore, when choosing what technology to use to deliver a course at a distance, there are a wide variety of items to consider. Careful thought and attention to these topics before introducing a technology will ensure that the technology will meet the objectives of the course, will be viable for institution, will be convincing to the instructor, and most importantly, to the students.

1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The followings are the Aim and Objective of this study are to:
1    Eradicating extreme poverty and hungry
2    Achieve universal primary education
3    Promote gender equality and empower woman
4    Raise awareness and Reduce child mortality
5    Education as to Improve maternal health
6    Qualitative Education to Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7    Ensure environmental sustainability
8    Development a global partnership for development

9 To effectively use ODL to create the needed economical positive impact through quality Human resources

10. To create greater access for teaming and yearning university aspiring students

11. To Help raise fund for the development of education through provision of qualitative education

1.3 RELEVANT RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In this research work, there are basic information that are required to be clarify such as

1. Why do we have to adopt ODL?

2. Can ODL have a meaningful comparative advantage over the conventional programmes?

3. What are the level of student’s participations, acceptance of ODL in Nigeria?

4. What are the levels of information communication Technology (ICT) readiness for ODL in Nigeria?

What is the level of Government Involvement in ODL in Nigeria?

1.4 SIGNIFICAN CE OF STUDY

The following are the significant of the study

i. Ensure relevance of Open and Distance learning is articulated in terms of educational and economical gain

ii. Government at all level participated and make use of the open and distance learning gain to impact the economy

iii. All stake holders in Education sector should adopt and use Open and distance learning to bring literacy to citizen

iv. Proper legislation should be put in place to guide monitor the implementation of open and distance learning

v. Government and educational stakeholders should provide funds and make use of proper and adequate technologies (ICT) in teaching and delivering of open and distance learning in Nigeria.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

We may pause briefly to take a peep into the history of the university institution since inception, in order to put the present situation in perspective. The origins of the Western European idea of a university are traced to the establishment of the university at Bologna in the eleventh century. Other universities sprang up in medieval times in France, Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews and Glasgow, to name a few. Some of the universities were run by the Masters, whom the students followed from one university to another; and others by the students themselves. The Humanities, particularly Philosophy, dominated the curriculum, although it has to be remembered that philosophy was much wider in scope then than it is now. Indeed, it covered much of what today are mathematics and physics. There is still at least one of the older universities in Britain where Physics is referred to as 'Natural Philosophy'. Law made an early appearance, and Medicine came later. The emphasis was on developing the mind and character of the student. That was the classical idea of a university, which is still echoed today when universities in Nigeria declare, perhaps not very truthfully, that they are awarding their degrees for 'character and learning1. This was largely knowledge for its own sake, which earned the universities the sobriquet of 'ivory tower1'

All this was appropriate for the medieval age which, however, very definitely came to an end with the industrial revolution in the eighteenth century. The physical sciences had already begun to assert themselves, and the purpose of the university had had to undergo a modification. Societies in Europe became increasingly preoccupied with the creation and accumulation of wealth, for which the physical and social sciences became very important. More subjects therefore entered the university curriculum, and the utilitarian value of university education became increasingly stressed. Municipal universities soon sprang up all over Britain, for example, all aimed principally at promoting the economic development of the cities The growth was even brisker in the United States of America. By the time universities spread throughout that country in the nineteenth century, the developmental role of universities had become not only accepted but strongly emphasized. Through the establishment of Land Grant Colleges and Universities, the Federal Government of the United States ensured that funds-were made available to each state to establish at least one college or university in the state. Some of them strongly emphasized agriculture, thus laying the foundation for today's food sufficiency in the country. Others, such as California and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, emphasized disciplines which could boost economic development in other areas and have today become some of the world's leading universities. Thus it was ensured that the universities were relevant from the very beginning in the United States.

1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS

ODL… Open and Distance Learning

ICT…. Information and communication Technology

JAMB…Joint Admission and matriculation Board

JME…. Joint Matriculation Examinations

UNISA….University Of South Africa

UNILAG… University of Lagos

NUC…National Universities Commission

NOUN… National Open University of Nigeria

UI………University of Ibadan

FUTY…..Federal university of Technology Yola

UNIABUJA….University of Abuja

UNILORIN…..University of Ilorin

OAU….Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife

REFERENCE

Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) (2007): Participation in Tertiary Education 2006,

UNESCO/COL (2005): (“Perspectives in Distance Education - Lifelong Learning &Distance Higher Education”. UNESCO/COL Paris, France

ADEA Report (August 2006): “Initiating and Conducting an Experimental Peer Review Exercise in Education in Africa”) ADEA

Education Card 2005 Statistics (2006): Published by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Mauritius

Distance Education Vol 26 No 2 August 2005 pp 183 – 204, Open and Distance

Learning Association of Australia, Australia

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 PREAMBLE

The development of the university system has been different in Nigeria. At the beginning, the Regions (West, East, North and later, Midwest) took advantage of education being on the concurrent list and established their own universities. But the Federal Government later thought it should exclusively run the universities, and so took over the University of Ife, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Ahmadu Bello University. It then went further in the 1970's and 1980's to create more federal universities in other parts of the country. This policy of establishing one university in each of the States has been pursued up till the present time. As more States have been created, federal universities have been sited in them, but this policy would appear to have been complicated by two developments. The first is that the States have woken up once again to their rights under the country's constitution to establish their own universities. To the extent that any justification has been offered for this development, it has been presented as the need for each State to boost manpower development in its own part of the country. As will be indicated later, this appears to be manpower development for its own sake, which is by no means an undesirable idea, but it is unfortunately not properly linked with specific areas of economic development, with the result, today, that there are armies of unemployed graduates in the country. Of particular note is the fact that industrial development has been almost completely neglected as the raison d'etre for creating modern universities.

2.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

From the position in the 1960's when the federal government aimed at running all the universities in the country, the country now has to cope, as we have seen, with the re-introduction of State universities and the vigorous growth of privately owned universities.

In spite of these developments, there is still a large wastage among the products of secondary schools; but it is necessary to examine the cause of that wastage. The results of the School Certificate examinations in recent years have indicated an appalling level of performance by the candidates. Even among those who have prima facie obtained the required number of credits for university admission, many fail to scale through the JAMB examination. And finally, those who apparently did do well in JME do not all perform well after admission in the universities. This, as we know, has led to the introduction of the so-called 'post JME tests' performed by each university itself, and which have surprisingly sparked off controversy even in high places. If the quality of the majority of secondary school leavers leaves much to be desired, a great deal of worry is also currently being expressed about the quality of the universities themselves. One may say that part of the reason for this is that, until recently, perhaps a sizeable number of undeserving students have gained admission; but the universities themselves cannot be entirely absolved of responsibility as funding and staffing have become increasingly difficult in the institutions. One now commonly hears the universities being accused of producing graduates who are unemployable.

To cope with access, however, a number of universities, like the University of Lagos, are making university education possible through distance learning. One can in fact trace the origins of distance learning to the extra-mural departments which used to be very strong and effective in the 'first generation universities. At a time when Ibadan was the only university college, and later university, its extra-mural department sustained a network which covered the entire country, though almost all the courses offered were at the sub-degree level. Also, to the extent that tutors went out to the various centers to teach, it could be a misnomer to describe this as an example of distance learning. The important point is that the university college/university did make its services available to students of varying ages and situations in life who did not have to come physically to the institution to pursue their courses. The modern distance learning institutes add to the efforts of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in tackling the problem of access, and it is expected that the institutes are in close contact with NOUN in fine-tuning the channels of communication with their students. Given a population of about 160 million, the country obviously still needs more universities, or more correctly, more access to university education. Meanwhile, there is the urgent necessity to develop the country in a world which is increasingly hostile to developing countries, a world in which, in spite of the much-trumpeted global village, every country has to look after its own interests, as contemporary events are making very clear. Speaking impressionistically, and without having to check our position in the economic league of nations, Nigeria is a very poor country. It is also an inequitable country, in which mind-boggling opulence among a very tiny proportion of the population exists cheek by jowl with unbelievable poverty among the great majority. The history of the developed countries of the world shows however that national development is driven by the growth of the middle class. The growth of the middle class, in turn, is propelled by the spread of a sound educational system.

Open and Distance learning is now a Global Phenomenon, it is not limited to schools in Nigeria But schools in overseas, For Instance, The Government of South Africa had many of its citizen and work force trained through ODL from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and other universities running ODL programmes. The University of South Africa now has a population of over 500,000 Students in Various disciplines and students spans across the world. In Nigeria, The National Universities Commission (N.U.C) has stipulated as a matter of policy that student enrolment into the O.D.L mode of tertiary education in Nigeria is set at 350, 000 students by 2015; this is in order to provide an effective answer to several thousands of Nigerians who are continually disenfranchised from educational opportunities based on the present mode and practice of tertiary education in Nigeria.

Open and Distance Learning is a globally recognized and veritable answer to the huge demand for tertiary education in a country such as Nigeria where the statistics show that only a paltry 18 out of every 100 applicants gain admission into the limited number of tertiary institutions in the country.

Open and Distance Learning provides access to and availability of educational contents to motivated students who are of college age and are seeking one qualification or the other in a vast array of professional disciplines that cuts across the Humanities, Social and Management Sciences, Pure and Applied Sciences, and Education in order to further their education cum career.

Online distance learning is also good for working class people looking to improve their knowledge base and develop skills critical to their job and career development without having to seek for leave of absence for study in the university.

There are presently six accredited ODL institutions in Nigeria (with many more universities in the process of adopting the ODL model).

University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, University of Abuja, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife. This project is aimed at two things.

1. To Increase the admission of Nigerian secondary school leavers into Universities

2. To Ensure that in the Long run, there are adequate well trained manpower

2.2 EMPIRICAL REVIEW OF PREVIOUS WORK IN THE AREA OF STUDIES

Part of the reason for the country's present very slow rate of development is that, at a time, about thirty years ago, when the country was becoming increasingly wealthy as a result of the exploitation of mineral oil, it was advised by international organizations that the money should be invested in primary, and possibly secondary, education, rather than in university or tertiary education. Of course, it was clear that this was very bad advice, for how can you develop primary and secondary education without a robust university system? Unfortunately, the government of the time bought this advice, and so we are today where we are. In any case, there is very little to show for the huge sums of money that have purportedly been spent of primary and secondary education, and this is due in large measure to the poor quality of personnel running these tiers of education.

The idea of graduates teaching in primary schools would seem strange to many Nigerians; yet in other countries there are graduates specially trained for this tier of education. It is the duty of the universities to ensure good quality in the personnel at the lower rungs. The task is so enormous in this sector alone that even the 118 universities cannot be expected to cope effectively. They require the participation of the Open University and the distance learning institutes. The great advantage of the distance learning mode is that in many, perhaps even most cases, the beneficiaries are already in jobs, so that university education is bound to improve their efficiency rather than making tern prospective job-seekers.
With the distance learning institutes complementing the efforts of the conventional universities, we can expect not only a rise in efficiency in jobs across the country, including the business of governance itself, but also a general rise in enlightenment (and may one dare add, morality) in the country. We would do well to recall that development started in earnest in Europe form the period of the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century, when the middle class began to expand apace and creativity was boosted. If we need a population that can competently think through the problems of the country, and who through their training are sufficiently creative in exploiting the many potentials of the country, we need a very large body of graduates, as has been found, for example, in Europe and America. It has to be admitted that the quality of the workforce in the country at present is generally dismally below expectation, and we must recognize that an incompetent workforce provides a fertile ground for corruption, the demon that currently holds the country captive. University education aims at training the intellect and refining L character. The larger the number of persons in a country that have had the benefit of this kind of training, the better for the country's efficiency and morality.
In the Nigerian context where the demand for a minimum wage of N18,000.00 (the equivalent of about four dollars a day) is strangely controversial, it may be asked how the country will manage to pay the wages of the very large number of graduates required to turn the country around and make it work efficiently. One obvious answer is that, with that number of graduates and other high-Level manpower, the country's gross domestic product (GDP) is bound to rise phenomenally, ensuring a decent standard of living for all. The GDP for the country as recorded for 2010 was 202,576 million American dollars. This placed the country in the 44th position among the 190 countries of the world. This compares with 14,528,550 million for the United States, 5,468,797 million for Japan and 2,250,209 for the United Kingdom. This shows that Nigeria still has a long way to go to catch up with the richest countries of the world. The resources, however, are there. What is required is a well-educated, well-motivated work force to turn the potentials into reality.

2.3 EDUCATION AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Having discussed the importance of a highly enlightened citizenry for the development of a nation, we may now examine the goals of development which the Nigerian government has set out for itself, and this can be found in the millennium development goals which, along with other nations of the world, the country has signed up to. It is instructive that Nigeria undertook to achieve all these goals by 2015. It is even more instructive that from various reports, the country is not likely to meet that deadline. But this is hardly surprising. Looking at the goals themselves, one can say that they express only pious hopes, which some may argue is in the nature of resolutions at international conferences. The goals do not constitute a working agenda for development. For anything concrete to be done about those goals, Nigeria should have designed a process of development with verifiable milestones.

For example, what is the effect of saying, as Goal 1 does, that poverty and hunger should be eradicated? Any meaningful response to this would require a quantification of the problem. What really, apart from intelligent guesses, is the extent of hunger and poverty in the country? Surely, they are all pervading. But there is a difference even between 95% and 80%. After quantifying the problem, we can then meaningfully think of solutions. If the problem has to be overcome, shall we say, in twenty years, then we set up verifiable milestones. Those milestones may be the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015. It has to be seen that something is being done, and the media would be rendering a good service to the country by making it its business to verify all claims that are made.
We may begin by asking whether the country actually need be as poverty-stricken as it is. Many would argue that it need not. For one thing, there is outrageous inequality of distribution of the country's resources, with a small segment of people, mostly in political positions and in the new El Dorado of oil and banking businesses, enjoying an inordinate share of the country's wealth. To make matters worse, it is not at all clear that those who enjoy these advantages even pay adequate tax.* Redistribution of resources can start from there, and then more money can be devoted to education, which is the only sure avenue for social mobility. The argument is not that those who work very hard should not be fully compensated for their efforts; but that there is a difference between adequate compensation and extravagant compensation, as is currently realized even in the most developed countries of the world.

A sterile argument has been going on for some time now in the country as to whether the country should devote 26% of its revenue, as purportedly advised by UNESCO, to education. But the country does not really need UNESCO's advice on this matter. The government of Western Region in the 1950's did not seek any external body's advice before spending more than that percentage on education, nor did General Raw-lings in Ghana more recently.

The bottom line for national development is the development of the human capital. And no development of the human capital is possible without a vibrant university and higher education system.

Goal 2 is obviously relevant in this connection. The country has been fighting an epic battle with universal primary education which started in the 1950's in Western Region with very hopeful signs. But it seems thereafter that the more money is thrown at the problem, the less returns the country has obtained. The provision of this Goal is therefore only a reminder of the problem which for various reasons has defeated the country for a long time. This is, in an important sense, an organizational problem. It is difficult to justify the federal government seeking to control free primary education. If this had been the case in the 1950's Western Region would not have been able to register the success that it did with the programme. The presence of gigantic sums of money in Abuja would seem to have attracted the wrong kinds of people who were given contracts but nether bothered to deliver. To run a successful programme of universal education, we need a virile local government system, not a system in the pockets of the state governments. All we now get are accusations and counter-accusations as to how the huge sums of money allocated to education has disappeared. Competent and well-educated citizens must take an interest in the running of the local governments because this is where the lot of the ordinary people can be improved. Appropriate legislation may be called for here to ensure the right kind of personnel at the helm of affairs at the local government level.

We can then quantify the problem. For example, each local government will decide how many more classrooms and teachers are required to achieve Goal 2. Then milestones are set up: how many more classrooms and teachers are required on a yearly basis between now and 2020, which is our own chosen year of destiny. Again, the media should agree to be the watchdog of the population, making sure that the agreed goals are met.

The development of a virile tertiary education system would ensure, on the one hand, that the kind of personnel required for running the local government are readily available, and at the same time that the staff to run colleges in which teachers are produced for this level of education are also readily available. Once again, attention to university education would pay off.

Goals 3 to 5 have to do with the welfare of women, which predictably suffers in every poor and underdeveloped country. What is required in Goal 3 is that there must be a way of measuring the progress being made in the admission of girls at all tiers of education. Admittedly, without reliable census figures it will be difficult to measure exactly what progress is being made in this area. It does seem impressionistically, however, that the record of admission of women to the nation's universities is satisfactory. Indeed, in course of time, there may well be more female than male undergraduates, which would probably reflect the proportions of the sexes within the population. The long-term effect of this is already becoming evident, with more and more women distinguishing themselves in prominent positions in government and business. With regard to Goal 4, the expectation is that, with continuous improvement in the educational status of women, child mortality will be drastically reduced. Women would know how to take good care of themselves in pregnancy and would pay due attention to their nutritional needs. It is necessary to remind ourselves that a better educated society is a more prosperous society able to provide the basic necessities of life. This also goes for Goal 5, which deals with maternal health. A society of well educated, well-informed citizens is inevitably a healthier country than a society of poor and ignorant citizens.

It is right for attention to be called to maternal health, but an opportunity should also be taken of stressing the need to improve health services generally in the country. This means building more hospitals and making services in them affordable. If the millennium goals were a serious programmed for development, we should know by now the rate at which the number of hospitals in the country has been increasing in preparation for the arrival of 2020, since the 2015 envisaged in the millennium goals document is clearly out of the question. It is not too late to start serious planning. With Goal 6 we come to some of the burning issues of the day. It cannot be said that nothing is being done in the country to combat HIV/AIDS and malaria, thanks very largely to external funding. But we would do well to reflect that HIV/AIDS and malaria thrive most virulently in countries where there is acute poverty and a very low level of education. Without adequate education, people cannot understand the real nature of the disease and must therefore rely on popular, sometimes misguided, beliefs about the condition. At the same time, acute poverty makes it difficult, if not impossible, for people to look after themselves without massive assistance from inside and outside the country. There is, it is true, considerable activity, but the planning underlying those activities, if there is any, is not made clear to" the public. We need to see a 'clear road-map to the eradication of these scourges, and an attentive media to report exactly what progress is being made. It is obvious that not enough basic research is being done in the country about these and other health conditions; but rather, we seem happy to adopt the research done in other countries and eagerly apply them here. The reason for this is obvious. No country, it is true, can be completely self-sufficient in research, but there is a certain minimum that every country should aim at, if only for security reasons. Unfortunately, the research capacity of Nigerian universities has dwindled with the years. We know very little about the people who inhabit this country, how many they are, and how many languages they speak, in precise terms; about the nutritional value of what they eat; about simple inventions from the raw materials that we have that can make life more tolerable and more productive for us. A specific example is malaria, on which the most basic research is done outside this country, and even in countries which do not suffer from the disease. If the millennium goal is to be met, we need to see the way in which the research capacity in the country is to be boosted, with verifiable milestones. Funding is always a constraint, but misplaced priorities are also a significant problem. The implications of this for a robust tertiary system of education are obvious.
A clear plan to meet Goal 7 does not seem to be in place. Sustainability of the environment is one of the big worries of this age, with national self interests standing in the way of a joint global action. Nigeria also needs to articulate its own national interests, and a clear plan should be put in place to ensure that we preserve our own corner of the world for posterity. Obviously, the country has to watch out for "stronger countries which seek to preserve the sustainability of their own environment at the expense of the weaker nations. Goal 8 is one which deserves careful examination, for it harbors the possibility, as does Goal 7, of stronger nations taking advantage of weaker ones. What sort of partnership can we have between very weak nations and very strong ones? Partnership is best based on equality, rather than on altruism, and so Nigeria's first responsibility is to reduce the yawning gap separating it from its stronger would-be partners. For this purpose, the country has to look more inwards than it has done thus far, for it cannot be safely assumed that Nigeria's development is necessarily compatible with the development of other countries. The country has to decide exactly what sort of partnership it requires and on what terms. This really brings us to the crux of the matter. The kind of goals that Nigeria needs is one which clearly signposts the country's determined march from a weak, raw material producing nation to a strong manufacturing one. If such a set of goals can be successfully executed, everything else will fall in place There will be more money to spend on education, as a result of which the latent mental energies of Nigerians throughout the country will be released, making development an on-going, endless process. This is a very large area which cannot be dealt with here, but we need the most efficient phasing and sequencing of projects designed to raise the country's GDP on a continuous basis - how the mineral resources of the country can be maximally exploited with Nigerians in the driving seat; the order in which industries are to be established with a view to improving, again on a continuous basis, the standard of living in the depressed rural areas, so that all Nigerians can make their own contributions to the nation's development process. There are enough experts in the country to see to the design of this grand plan, and it may not be the same as what passes for national planning at the moment.

In case it is not clear from what has been said so far, let me repeat that no meaningful or lasting development is possible without close attention to education. This is a fact clearly realized in every part. of the world, with the result that even highly developed nations are seeking to spend ever more money on education and improve their human capital. It is now commonplace to hear people remark that this is the knowledge age. If the possession of a secondary school education currently defines the educated man in many parts of the world, countries which are alert to their responsibilities now aim at giving . practically all their citizens tertiary education.

The same spirit is abroad in Nigeria, where the founding of universities has been liberalized, so that the country now has, at the last count, 118 universities, 45 of which are privately-owned; and the number is growing. This number is still comparatively small, given the population of the country which is now estimated to be about 160 million. Given appropriate reforms at the primary and secondary levels, and a more reliable system of selection and admission, the country should be able to support 300 universities which would give value for money.
Meanwhile, we have the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and the Distance Learning Institutes or Centers of the universities to cover the existing large areas of need, with resultant increase in self-esteem and productivity on the part of the beneficiaries. Many Nigerians have been given a second chance of acquiring university education through the same institutions, which are able to offer admission to large numbers of students who- , are able to follow their courses at a more leisurely pace than the conventional students in the universities. These institutions are by no means a temporary measure, but should be part of the university system catering for the special needs of their clientele.
The Distance Learning Institute of the University of Lagos clearly illustrates the point. It was part of the original concept of the university itself and came into being in the same year that the university was established, in 1962., Lagos was already the commercial centre of 'Nigeria and, with an eye strictly on relevance, the mandate of the establishment which was ultimately to be christened Distance Learning Institute of the University of Lagos, was clear, as stated in the Institute's Prospectus: The provision of facilities for part-time studies in such fields as Business Studies, Accounting, Law and Education through correspondence and distance learning techniques. That makes this Institute unique among similar establishments in the other universities in the country. I have every reason to believe that it has been discharging its mandate most creditably, thus contributing to the educational development in the country, and ultimately to the development of the country itself.

REFERENCE

Ayo, B (2011): Open and Distance Learning an Imperative Tool for Educational and Economical Development in Nigeria

Adetoro,I and Oke, L J(1997): Education and National Development: A Comparative Perspective

Aderibigbe, I. (1991): Distance Education and the Teaching of Science, Impact of Science on Society

Heward, C and Bunwaree, S (1999): Gender, Education and Development: Beyond Access to Empowerment, London, U.K: Zed Books Ltd.

Adriaan Verspoor (2006): ADEA Newsletter, Special Issue, Biennale January - March 2006, Vol 18N1

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 PREAMBLE

This chapter focuses on presumed relations among natural phenomena.

The chapter dwells on the methodology adopted in carrying out the study. Its consists of the research design, population of the study, sample size, source of data and sampling method.

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN.

The research design used for this project is Design survey method because the research made used of both primary and secondary data.

3.2 POPULATION OF THE STUDY

For the purpose of this study, a Total of 230 students were carefully selected from the University of Lagos regular programme and Distance learning institute used as a test case for the research design questionnaires.

Universal data gotten from the National University commission suggests that by the year 2015, a total of 350, 000 students will be enrolled for all the academic programmes run by the participation ODL Nigerian Universities inclusive of Dual mode (UNILAG, OAU IFE, ABUJA, YOLA, ILORIN, UI,) Institutions

3.3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

This study adopts a stratified random sampling method selecting the sample form the population.

Stratified random sampling involves division of population of study into homogenous group called strata. Each sub-group will then be treated as an independent population from which a representative sample is obtained

In this study, the strata shall include

i. Students from regular programmes of Unilag

ii. Students from DLI Unilag

iii. Students from other Universities

The stratified method is considered as the most efficient among probability design

3.3.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SAMPLING

The population has the following characteristics

1. They are all University students

2. They all have knowledge and experience of university education

3. It is a finite population consisting of both sexes and there is variation in age, level of studies and experience

4. The are all knowledgeable about the goal of university education

3.3.2 SAMPLE SIZE

In this study, a total of 250 students from the universities shall be taken as sample size.

3.4 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT AND VALIDATION

Questionnaires were administered for the purpose of data collection in the design of this project and Secondary data are also used

3.5 QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN

The questionnaire is divided into two sections: Section A and Section B. Section A contained general questions about the Name, Age, Marital status, Sex, Education, Qualification e.t.c. The Section B comprises of the closed-ended questions formulated to which the respondent has to answer “ Strongly Agreed”, “Agreed”, “Undecided”, “Disagree”, “Strongly Disagree”.

3.6 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

Chi-Square method is used to present the data; the later chapter illustrates the data as tabulated with each presentation carefully and meticulously analyzed

The sampling technique used in this project presentation and data analysis is Stratified sampling where the respondents are divided into two strata for the purpose of grouping. The responses from which each question were grouped into YES or NO

The percentage was found using the chi-square formula.

X²= ∑ (0 - e)²

Where

E = Total summation

O = Observation frequency

E = Expected value

For the hypothesis formulated the acceptance or rejection criterion applied to the hypothesis was based on the following decision rules.

If X²calculated > X² tabulated, reject H_oand accept Hi

If X²calculated < X² tabulated, accept H_oand reject Hi

At 5% or 0.05 level of significant.

REFERENCES

Abosede. A.J, Obasan K.A and Raji B.A. (2001), research Methods

for science student. Mixon Publisher. Lagos

Asika N. (2004), Research methodology in the Behavioral science. Longman Nigeria

Plc. Lagos

Fagbounge O.B. (1999), research methods for Nigerian tertiary Institutions, Kole

Consults Publishing. Lagos

Oyesiku O.O and Odugbemi O.O (2000), Research Methods in the social and

Management Scince. Cesap Publishing, Ago –Iwoye, Ogun

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

4.0 PREAMBLE

This chapter sees to the analysis of data based on the response from the respondents on the following research questions.

The objective is to analyze and interpret the data collected for the purpose of this study. To achieve the above, therefore, the responses were tabulated and analyzed; various statistical methods such as cross tabulation and chi-square test were used to present the data for easy understanding and interpretation and to determine if there is any significant relationship between the variables in each hypothesis, at confidence level of 0.05.

4.1 ANALYSIS OF DATA

TABLE 4.1.1 ANALYSIS OF RESPONDENTS COMPOSITION BY DEPARTMENT.

DEPARTMENTS	QUESTINNAIRES ADMINISTRED	QUESTIONNAIRES RETURNED	QUESTIONNAIRES RETRIEVED %
COMPUTER SCIENCE	35	33	14.34
ACCOUNTING	70	62	27
BUSINESS ADMIN	35	30	13.04
SOCIOLOGY	30	28	12.17
MATHEMATICS	30	29	12.60
QUANTITY SURVEY	50	48	20.87
GEO-PHYSICS	-	-	-
TOTAL	250	230	100