The Africa Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL) has held its virtual postgraduate students’ orientation ceremony for the 2022/2023 first semester, which was the fifth in the series.
The ceremony was held on Monday, March 6th, 2023 from the headquarters of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja and lasted for five days.
NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Administration, Prof. Isaac Butswat, congratulated and welcomed the newly admitted students of the centre.
Peters said ACETEL provides scholarship for students across Africa to support the emergence of highly-skilled African youths and develop the capacity of Africans to train and nurture graduates with relevant skills.
He said the programme has also offered partial support to students in the West African sub – region, adding that the centre draws students “from Ghana, Gambia, Cameroon Uganda, North Kore, USA, and Canada.”
The VC noted that ACETEL programmes are aimed at transforming students into innovative leaders, who will capitalise Africa’s growth and development.
Speaking further, he told the students that they will be exposed to critical thinking as they begin their studies. “Sub-Saharan Africa needs you to be innovative in providing solutions to the challenges facing the continent in general and the education sector in particular.”
He pledged the university management’s continuous support for ACETEL and promised to create an enabling environment for its clients and staff.
Earlier, the ACETEL Director, Prof. Grace Jokthan, had noted that the new students will be the fifth set of students the centre will be having since its inception and congratulated them for their success in the admission process.
“In terms of enrollment and skills-based short programmes, the centre has, over the period of its inception, been able to have short courses, to meet the skills-based gaps observed within the society.
“And so, over these three years that it has been in operation, we have been able to train about 2,800 students and staff in the area of ICT,” she stated.
Jokthan urged them to take advantage of the presence of the courses to be able to build their skill gaps.
Enlightening the students of the necessary information, she told them that they will be having their supervisors from across the globe, which is part of the support students will get, to ensure they have a very good experience.
The director, later, took the students on a virtual tour of NOUN, with a video showing the ambience of the university environment, the departments, faculties, the library and other notable places.
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