University of Ibadan (Distance Learning Centre)

Brief History of University of Ibadan

The University of Ibadan, the first in Nigeria, was established' as a college of the University of London following the recommendation of the Asquith and Elliot Commissions on Higher Learning in the colonies in West Africa. The then University College was located at the 56th Military General Hospital, about 8 kilometers the present location of the University of Ibadan. A total of 104 resumed lectures on January 18, 1948, including 3 females population increased from about 1000 students in 1958 to over in the 2001/2002 sessions. The University has produced over undergraduates and 28,000 postgraduates.

It has attained a position of eminence in various disciplines in Medicine, Education, the Arts, Social Sciences; Basic Sciences Agriculture producing World acclaimed scholars like Wole Soyinka the Nobel Laureate in Literature and Chinua Achebe.

The pre-eminent role of the University of Ibadan has acknowledged by a variety of international organizations as big below. It was designated

• A Centre of Excellence for Medicine 1978
• A Centre of Excellence in Neurosciences 1985
• WHO's Centre for Virology Research and Diagnosis
• A recipient of the UNESCO Chair in Adult Education
• A recipient of the Shell Petroleum Development Corporation Chair in Petroleum Engineering
• IAEA Collaborative Centre for Research and Train Radiophotos and immunoassay

Full fledged universities like the University of Ilorin and Jos started of as campuses of the University of Ibadan. To its credit, the University of Ibadan has produced most of the current teaching and non-teaching staff in Nigerian universities.

Brief History of Distance Learning Centre

The idea of long distance education was conceived by the Department of Adult Education in 1972. The proposal for Senate approval to start the programme was presented in 1976. The National University Commission gave its approval on condition that it would be a self financing programme. Thus, the External Studies Programme was run as a programme of the Department of Adult Education from its inception in 1988 until 1993 when the first set of students was completed their programmes.
The pioneer departments were Adult Education, Guidance and Counseling and Teacher Education. By 1993, four more departments Special Education, Library Science, Educational Management and Physical and Health Education had joined the original three Departments to offer B. Ed Degree. The programme was based in the Faculty of Education, with the name External Degrees Programme which was later changed to Centre for External Studies and in 2002, Distance Learning Centre.
In the 1998 academic year, the programme was extended to the Faculty of Agriculture.
Since the inception of the programme, the Centre has graduated
about 4,000 students.

Vision
To Expand the Frontiers of Knowledge and Transform the through Innovation.

Mission
The mission is to be a world class institution where conditions learning are excellent, research and services are outstanding, an staff and students are worthy in character and sound judgment.