Following the unending strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the authorities of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) have migrated to a virtual classroom with more than 5,000 students already receiving lectures from adjunct staff.
Vice-Chancellor UNIABUJA, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah who made this known while addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, said COVID-19 pandemic made the university to make use of its in-house skills and resources to develop a virtual classroom system.
He said more than 5,000 students have been receiving virtual lectures with adjunct lecturers, because of the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by ASUU.
Na’Allah, also revealed at the event that the backlog of certificates of 14,307 students who graduated from various programmes running in the university from 1994 till date, was now ready for collection
While lamenting the effect of the pandemic lockdown and consequential shutdown of academic activities nationwide for over seven months, the Vice-Chancellor, said the University had to develop an effective and trustworthy virtual teaching system for its students, to ensure the process of teaching and learning was not disrupted currently and in the future.
“We have conducted several pilot studies from April/May this year and I am happy to announce that the UNIABUJA virtual classroom system has piloted several courses taught mainly by our adjunct lecturers because we know that our respected academic staff are on strike and are having continued engagements with the federal government.
Close to 5,000 students of our university are taking courses through our University of Abuja virtual classroom system and we are very proud of that.
“What it means is that if there is a need and if there is any reason that the entire students of this University have to go home or do anything, this university is ready and fully prepared to conduct all its courses virtually with everything that it takes.”
He added that a policy was being developed to ensure all academic staff teaches at least one or two courses virtually, once the strike was called off and normalcy returns to the university.
