•Dr Osoba Kehinde Eritosin JP
The newly Inaugurated Honourary Chancellor of College of Chaplaincy & Social Sciences, Nigeria, Reverend Mother (Dr) Osoba Kehinde Eritosin, JP has called on the federal government to empower online education and grant license to more online educational institutions in bringing education to the door step of every Nigerian.
Osoba made the appeal while addressing the Press after her inauguration during the college’s sixth convocation ceremony yesterday in Ota, Ogun State.
The college, an affiliate of African American University, Porto-Novo, accredited by American Council of Training & Development, operates all its courses through online learning.
During the 2023/2024 academic session, the college graduated 55 students across Advanced Diploma, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D programmes.
Osoba, who also doubles as the new Visitor of the institution, highlighted the global shift towards online education, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed the feasibility and efficacy of online learning.
She emphasised that public and private institutions in Nigeria have increasingly been adopting online education model to suit the emerging realities of the world.
While expressing her gratitude and commitment to the college’s growth Osoba said; “I accept this responsibility as a demonstration of my dedication to the development of humanity,”
Osoba however promised to support the Governing Council towards the completion of ongoing projects and infrastructural developments at the college and in developing and implementing strategic action plans, while fostering good rapport and consensus among relevant stakeholders of the institution.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Faith Lana in his welcome address said, “We appeal to the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, to establish modalities with simpler requirements for more online institutions to gain approval”.
He also urged the government to empower newly approved institutions to be able to gradually roll out degree programmes, starting with a single programme and expanding over time.
“The country needs more institutions like MIVA Open University to address the challenges of educational accessibility,” he added.
The vice chancellor further stressed that approving new online institutions would significantly strengthen the nation’s educational system.
The event also featured the induction of the 55 graduates into the Alumni Association and the inauguration of Osoba as the college’s first Chancellor.
In a statement today made available to The Frontier, the Media Assistant to Honorary Chancellor Office, Mr Owolabi Osoba, said that the convocation ceremony celebrated the college’s continued dedication to delivering quality online education and its contribution to expanding access to higher learning in Nigeria.
