UNILAG Distance Learning Closes Gap With Full-Time Study

UNILAG Distance Learning now matches full-time programmes in quality and certification, says VC Ogunsola, as university plans expansion to 50,000 students

UNILAG Distance Learning has achieved full parity with its full-time academic programmes, according to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola.

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Speaking at the fourth international colloquium of the university’s Distance Learning Institute (DLI), Ogunsola revealed that the university had harmonised its screening, academic standards, and certification process across both learning streams.

This, she explained, was aimed at removing the long-standing stigma associated with distance learning in Nigeria’s job market.

“Our certificates do not bear the label ‘Distance Learning,’ so graduates are like every other UNILAG graduate,” Ogunsola said.

She emphasised that the UNILAG Distance Learning programme is no longer a dumping ground for low-performing applicants.

Admissions are now strictly merit-based and aligned with market demands. Quality assurance has also been reinforced across the board.

Ogunsola noted that the university currently has a 1:3 ratio of distance to full-time students, with plans to scale up DLI enrolment from 12,000 to 50,000 students in the coming years.

However, she identified limited access to technology and internet infrastructure—especially in rural areas—as a key obstacle.

“To reach rural areas is our biggest challenge. Last-mile internet access is still a government responsibility,” she added.

Professor Risikat Dauda, Director of DLI, echoed these concerns. She called for a more inclusive approach to distance education—one that accounts for students without laptops, fast internet, or even electricity.

“Inclusion means asking whether the poorest child in Zamfara can benefit as much as a banker’s daughter in Ikoyi,” Dauda noted.

She proposed an overhaul of the pedagogical model to include personalised, adaptive learning supported by tools like AI tutors that address regional and linguistic diversity.

International speakers at the colloquium, including Dr. Nicole Lotz of the UK’s Open University and Prof. Chukunoye Ochonogor from South Africa, backed this call for inclusive, future-proofed online education.

They urged institutions to embed digital literacy, social learning, and culturally responsive teaching into their distance education strategies.

The event, themed “Future-Proofing Open, Flexible and Distance Learning: Balancing Innovation, Inclusion and Sustainability,” brought together global experts and Nigerian academics to chart a course for the next phase of DLI development.

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With an ambitious expansion target and a firm commitment to equality of academic experience, UNILAG Distance Learning appears poised to reshape higher education access for Nigerians across the socioeconomic spectrum.