May 5, 2016 – NOUN Offers Free University Education, Scholarship To Prison Inmates Throughout Nigeria
Inmates throughout the country now have hope of a quality higher education with the gesture by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to give them free education.
In a statement signed by the Director, Media and Publicity of the institution, Malam Ibrahim Sheme, NOUN said it had decided to grant 100 per cent waiver to prison inmates who desired to further their education across the country.
Sheme said that the development was in keeping with the institution’s mandate of making education accessible to the less privileged in the society.
He quoted the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, as announcing the grant while receiving his counterpart from the Nigeria/Turkish Nile University, Prof. Huseyin Sert, in Abuja.
The waiver, formerly pegged at 50 percent, would now enable the inmates have unfettered access to quality education.
The development would also encourage other inmates to take advantage of the initiative to intensify efforts in realising their dreams and improve the quality of their lives.
The NOUN vice-chancellor described as worrisome the absence of meaningful social support system for inmates to acquire education in the country.
“Having suffered abandonment by relatives, emotional and physical confinement, prison inmates will see such gesture from NOUN as a measure to reduce their burden.
“It will also provide a platform for them to improve their skills and make themselves better citizens.
“NOUN, being a single-mode institution, is charged with the responsibility of adding lifelong values to those yearning for quality education.
“It also seeks to explore the option of taking education to young girls, who for cultural reasons, cannot access education,’’ Adamu said in the statement.
Great! Humanitarian services. Love dis, nice mission. God bless d NOUN. Amen.
Very nice and God bless NOUN
Laudable but where will the lectures take place? in prison? How practicable is it allowing an inmate the use of the cover of attending lectures to probably go attack the witnesses or the judge. Please reason through the different scenarios before implementing as the society should not be made victims of lofty ideas.
I hate to sound like a don’t know a good thing when I see one. This is a wonderful idea, no doubt. But what good is this to an inmate who had had no secondary school education prior to incaceration? What about those who had been in the prison for far too long that their brains have “knocked engine” and they have forgotten everything? I think that this initiative is only meant for inmates who have spent less than five years behind bars.
Moreover, in the Nigeria of today where securing a job is highly difficult after all the years spent in the university, how far is this initiative going to make a good impact in our society today, or even in the nearest future?
There are certain ideas that sound so good, but when critically examined, we may be able to put them in their rightful place. Teaching those inmates arts and craft; taking them through courses like costume designing, cinematography and the likes, is far better than any abstract lecture that NOUN may have in package for them. We should discourage anything that tends to make us perpetually dependent on the govt for a job, and this NOUN idea is one of such things.
@ NOUN, charity organization. Hope you fix them up with good jobs as well. Why waste time on something not necessary? Remember millions of unemployed graduates that are hopeful.
@ NOUN, charity organization. Hope you fix them up with good jobs as well. Why waste time on something not necessary? Remember millions of unemployed graduates that are hopeful.
Metu great talk but as you say I doubt if is real. In Nigeria I dont believe.
ur vision is not clear enough but a very good idea
Wonderful and God bless u.
This is very commendable by NOUN
WOW! DAZ GUD, GOD BLESS THEM. Q.Fabs
NOUN God bless you all. This is good move