By Felix Khanoba

The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Olufemi Peters, has commissioned seven new laboratories put in place by the African Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL) domiciled in the institution.

The VC, who cimmissioned the laboratories at the university’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, described the facilities as a game changer in virtual learning and Information Technology (IT) .

“These facilities we commissioned today are game changer to develop capacity not just for our staff but to also be able to impact knowledge on our students at masters and postgraduate levels, and also for those who might desire to have short circuit courses to enhance their immediate capacities.

“It is something of great joy that this is what we have, and I am extremely proud that it is during my tenure the whole of these things are happening,” Prof. Peters said.

The VC, who said IT is the new currency in the world of global teaching, expressed delight that the laboratories would further shore up the leading position of NOUN in digitalisation of learning.

He also commended the management of ACETEL for its effective implementation of the World Bank-sponsored project.

“I want to thank the ACETEL management for keeping with the space, keeping with the focus and keeping with the mandate,” the VC said.

While emphasizing the importance of of having well-trained and competent hands to man the laboratories, Prof. Peters urged ACETEL not to operate alone but collaborate with other relevant academic units in the university to ensure massive impact of the new facilities.

“The ACETEL cannot afford to stay as an island, it cannot be a silo facility. The other facilities, academic units in the university must also find inroads to the facilities that ACETEL have, and for us as a university, we will continue to support ACETEL in all manners and ways required for us to do,” Prof. Peters said.

On her part, the visibly elated Director of ACETEL, Professor Grace Jokthan, expressed delight on the actualisation of the seven laboratories within the time frame of the project.

“I am so satisfied seeing seven of these IT laboratories coming to bear with state of the art facilities that students can use for learning and to also serve research purpose.

” I am so glad that within a time frame of the project we are able to deliver on this important task and our students can now access our laboratories remotely and those that can also come here physically can also do that, and we will be able to conduct researches that will address the need of the education sector,” she said.

While saying that a lot of resources were expended on the new laboratories, Prof. Jokthan said the World Bank approved about $6 million for ACETEL for its projects.

” The total amount for the centre is about $6 million but disbursement is in such a way that you have to earn the money before it is given.

“It is unlike other projects that once you have a grant the money is given to you, that is why these laboratories and other things we are doing are even more significant to us because we had to work to earn it and now that we have gotten this, we must also ensure we work to sustain these facilities, we protect these facilities, we put in place measures that ensure accessibility while also ensuring security of the highest order, ” she added.

The AUTHORITY reports that the seven brand new commissioned laboratories are Management and Information System (MIS) Laboratory, Cyber Security Laboratory, Virtual Reality Laboratory and ACETEL Basic Laboratory.

Others are Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, ACETEL-CISCO Academy and Multimedia Laboratory.