Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning, , <\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
Funmi Ogundare<\/p>\n
The newly appointed Pro-Chancellor of Miva Open University, Dr Tunji Olowolafe, has called for a fundamental rethink of the delivery of higher education in Nigeria, insisting that quality education must be accessible to all, irrespective of geographical, economic or social barriers.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the university\u2019s maiden convocation ceremony, held recently in Lagos, Olowolafe described open and distance learning as a transformative model capable of expanding access to higher education while maintaining rigorous academic standards.<\/p>\n
According to him, the future of education lies in creating systems that adapt to learners\u2019 realities, rather than compelling students to fit into outdated educational structures.<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocratising education does not mean lowering standards. It means refusing to allow the conditions of learning to become a barrier to the quality of learning. It means designing systems that meet students where they are, not systems that demand students rearrange their entire lives to fit a model built for a different era,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Olowolafe recalled the vision of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, whose free education policy and educational broadcasting initiatives broadened learning opportunities beyond the conventional classroom.<\/p>\n
He said that Miva Open University represents the modern expression of that philosophy by leveraging technology to bridge educational gaps.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere the student cannot travel to the classroom, the classroom must learn to travel to the student,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pro-chancellor challenged the perception that open and distance learning is inferior to conventional university education, arguing that such misconceptions have contributed to the underinvestment in a system capable of significantly expanding access to higher education across Africa.<\/p>\n
He stressed that graduates of the institution underwent rigorous academic training and should be proud of their achievements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe graduates before me today did not receive a diluted education. They were held to rigorous standards. They were assessed, challenged and stretched. They paid for their own data, sat their own examinations and asked no one for permission to be ambitious,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Olowolafe identified sustaining quality amid increasing enrolment as one of the greatest challenges confronting higher education institutions globally, noting that maintaining academic integrity while expanding access distinguishes serious institutions from merely ambitious ones.<\/p>\n
He commended the institution for preserving academic excellence while pursuing growth, saying that it had resisted the temptation to compromise standards for expansion.<\/p>\n
On the state of education in Nigeria, he acknowledged recent policy interventions and investments by the federal government and expressed optimism that sustained reforms would improve educational outcomes nationwide.<\/p>\n
Olowolafe urged the graduating students to embrace lifelong learning and become worthy ambassadors of the university.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe credential certifies that you can learn. The real test is whether you keep doing it, deliberately, aggressively, without waiting for an institution to organise it for you,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He also urged them to contribute meaningfully to national development, arguing that Nigeria\u2019s greatest challenge is not a lack of resources but a shortage of disciplined and purposeful leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Nigeria lacks most is not resources. It is organised well. It is people with training, with values, and with the determination to point at something bigger than personal comfort,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
, Education \u2013 THISDAYLIVE, July 1, 2026, 12:09 am<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning, , Funmi Ogundare The newly appointed Pro-Chancellor of Miva Open University, Dr Tunji Olowolafe, has called for a fundamental rethink of the delivery of higher education in Nigeria, insisting that quality education must be accessible to all, irrespective of geographical, economic or social barriers. Speaking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1937,3,854,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education-education","category-education","category-featured","category-school-matters"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning - EduNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning - EduNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning, , Funmi Ogundare The newly appointed Pro-Chancellor of Miva Open University, Dr Tunji Olowolafe, has called for a fundamental rethink of the delivery of higher education in Nigeria, insisting that quality education must be accessible to all, irrespective of geographical, economic or social barriers. Speaking […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EduNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/edumarkconsult\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T00:09:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eduadmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EdumarkNG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EdumarkNG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eduadmin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eduadmin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a5b374d36d8a925f42febcfabddf8339\"},\"headline\":\"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T00:09:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":539,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Education\",\"Education\",\"Featured\",\"School Matters\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\\\/\",\"name\":\"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning - EduNews\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T00:09:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"EduNews\",\"description\":\"No1 Education & General News Platform\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Edumark Consult\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/edumark-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/edumark-logo.png\",\"width\":316,\"height\":159,\"caption\":\"Edumark Consult\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/edumarkconsult\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EdumarkNG\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/edumark-consult-limited\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/edumarkng\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a5b374d36d8a925f42febcfabddf8339\",\"name\":\"eduadmin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b0687d3dd3be0e5ec81505e7230affc3ceed78e9b3553ff03c301832b1bb91d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b0687d3dd3be0e5ec81505e7230affc3ceed78e9b3553ff03c301832b1bb91d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b0687d3dd3be0e5ec81505e7230affc3ceed78e9b3553ff03c301832b1bb91d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"eduadmin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/edumarkng.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/eduadmin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning - EduNews","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning - EduNews","og_description":"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning, , Funmi Ogundare The newly appointed Pro-Chancellor of Miva Open University, Dr Tunji Olowolafe, has called for a fundamental rethink of the delivery of higher education in Nigeria, insisting that quality education must be accessible to all, irrespective of geographical, economic or social barriers. Speaking […]","og_url":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/","og_site_name":"EduNews","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/edumarkconsult\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-01T00:09:20+00:00","author":"eduadmin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EdumarkNG","twitter_site":"@EdumarkNG","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"eduadmin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/"},"author":{"name":"eduadmin","@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/a5b374d36d8a925f42febcfabddf8339"},"headline":"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning","datePublished":"2026-07-01T00:09:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/"},"wordCount":539,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Education","Education","Featured","School Matters"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/","url":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/","name":"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning - EduNews","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-07-01T00:09:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/miva-pro-chancellor-canvasses-rethinking-of-higher-education-backs-open-learning\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Miva Pro-Chancellor Canvasses Rethinking of Higher Education, Backs Open Learning"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/","name":"EduNews","description":"No1 Education & General News Platform","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Edumark Consult","url":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/edumark-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/edumark-logo.png","width":316,"height":159,"caption":"Edumark Consult"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/edumarkconsult\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EdumarkNG","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/edumark-consult-limited\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/edumarkng\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/a5b374d36d8a925f42febcfabddf8339","name":"eduadmin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b0687d3dd3be0e5ec81505e7230affc3ceed78e9b3553ff03c301832b1bb91d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b0687d3dd3be0e5ec81505e7230affc3ceed78e9b3553ff03c301832b1bb91d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b0687d3dd3be0e5ec81505e7230affc3ceed78e9b3553ff03c301832b1bb91d4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"eduadmin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news"],"url":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/author\/eduadmin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19555\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}