By Muktar Tahir – The Coordinator, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund’s Research and Development Standing Committee, RDSC, Dr. Mustapha Popoola, has called for the democratization of tertiary education in Nigeria.
Mr Popoola, who made the call during the 13th virtual meeting of the thematic groups of the RDSC, said open access would not only democratize higher education but also expand its scientific spaces in the country.
He said: “Open Educational Resources (OERs) are freely available pedagogical resources, such as lesson plans, activities, media, and supporting materials.
“They’re a type of open access material, and open access materials such as OA journal articles, OA textbooks, and other scholarly materials may support OER lesson plans.
“Open Access, Open Data, and Open Education form a broad Open Agenda that is critical to accelerating the way we discover knowledge and unlocking our potential to solve big problems and make discoveries.
“Further, educators and students can leverage an open approach to create customized education programs, using the latest relevant information to improve learning outcomes and make access to quality education more equitable and affordable.
“Increasingly, investors in research are requiring the results of their funding to be made Openly available.
“These investors, ranging from foundations and governments to universities around the world, all place a high value on ensuring their funding is optimized for results.
“Through Open, research funders can more quickly and efficiently maximize their return on investment and achieve their goals.
“Whether or not you are actively engaged in research, you are likely to be a beneficiary of the Open Agenda.
“Through Open policies and programs, the progress of research is accelerated and the results of the research are shared broadly.
“For every one of us, open holds many possible benefits to our daily lives including –medical professionals having access to the latest findings, emergency response systems optimized with the most precise data, and entrepreneurs using cutting-edge research for new business innovation.”
According to him, “once Nigeria takes it with seriousness, narratives will change among its researchers.”
