THE Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe, has admonished directors of the various study centres across the country not to work against the goals of the institution, warning that severe consequences awaited those found to be charging illegal “administrative fees”, at variance with what is stipulated by the University authorities.

Professor Tenebe,who gave the warning at the 98th Meeting of the Senate of the University, in response to allegations by some students that they were being overburdened by “illegal” fees in various Study Centers, emphasized that “no Study Centre had the authority to charge and collect fees from students, as all charges must be paid into the authorized account of the University.”

The vice-chancellor said that everywhere in the world, “Open and Distance Learning programmers are expensive to run because of their enormous flexibility” but that the Federal Government had gone a long way in substantially subsidizing the various charges paid by students to ensure that the burden was not passed on them. And in spite of the high cost, NOUN has regularly upgraded the system for effectiveness, which has been sustained over the years.”

The vice-chancellor reiterated the University’s commitment to inculcate into Nigerians moral values over and above greed and the quest for material possession. In his worlds, “NOUN is conceived and designed to be a foundry for the production of expert thinkers – graduates who are intellectually trained to make a positive impact on their society.”

NOUN’s i-learn, e-assessment and e-courseware technologies are indicative of the fact that in the next few years, the University will become a major centre of excellence in the world, and a pride to Nigeria. The management of NOUN in its quest to fight corruption, has made public the authentic fees as stipulated by the University and called on the students to check the website.