No fewer than 1,500 Nigerian students displaced by the Russian invasion in Ukraine are set to resume their studies in Igbinedion University, Okada in Edo State by September 2022.
The development came in as a result of a partnership signed by the Ivano Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil & Gas with the management of the Igbinedion University.
According to report a Ukrainian University had earlier signed an agreement with Igbinedion university to help Nigerian students who were affected by the Russian invasion continue their studies in Nigeria.
In a statement made available by the representative of the Ukrainian University in Nigeria, Cliff Ogbede, it was stated that the cooperation was made under the National Universities Commission transeducational guidelines.
The statement said, “In their quest to return students who were displaced by the war in Ukraine to class, another top rated Ukrainian academic institution-Ivano Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil & Gas, has equally signed a cooperation agreement with Igbinedion University Okada. This cooperation will enable their students who were displaced by the war in Ukraine to resume classroom lectures in Igbinedion University campus on a joint educational program, under the Nigerian National Universities Commission Transnational Educational guidelines.
“The joint Transnational Educational program will enable the undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Ukrainian Ivano Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil & Gas to continue their academic programs uninterrupted in addition to the existing distance learning mode, as a similar model is applied in particular for the organization of academic cooperation with Universities in Turkey and some other countries.
“The joint Transnational Educational program which was recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, in line with the guidelines of NUC allows Ukrainian academic institutions to continue online adaptation of study in addition to a joint educational program with highly rated foreign partner institutions. In this new collaboration, the two Universities will jointly be developing educational activities, expanding opportunities for access to all levels and forms of quality higher education, educational programs and courses, based on the recommendations of UNESCO, as well as the implementation of the right to academic mobility, which meets the basic principles of the Bologna Declaration.
“Ogbede stated that the joint collaboration is geared towards the creation of a sustainable system of educational, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two Universities, based on high international academic standards, thereby encouraging the development of regional cooperation for the harmonization of educational qualifications, implementation of effective models and forms of education that meet the current challenges and global trends, development and implementation of joint training programs and courses aimed at the capacity building of human resources, self-fulfillment of individuals, their professional competencies and economic wellbeing and improvement of academic potential in the field of research and scientific activities.
“In addition to these programs, the two Universities will expand the cooperation by ensuring quality cross-cultural communications, development of international partnerships for the commercialization of educational products, encouraging the development of the knowledge economy and enriching the scope of educational programs, disciplines and teaching experience of both institutions.
“Ogbede concluded by saying that the cooperation will enable the two institutions in future to start conducting joint educational programs, degree and qualification courses with common or dual certification, which may include the harmonization of curricula between the two Parties and mutual recognition of prior periods of study at the partner University, conducting parallel educational programs, which provides for awarding of separate certifications of each separate institution and Open and distance learning, providing for the provision of quality academic programs and courses leading to the award of qualifications, with no space or time limitations”.
Making further clarifications, Ogbede noted that the students were about 1,500 in number and would resume by September.
“The students are about 1,500 and they will be resuming by September,” he said.
CULLED FROM PUNCH
