ICDE Award
Professor Olugbemiro Jegede awarded the ICDE) Prize of Excellence for Lifelong Contribution to the Field of open and distance education worldwide
Professor Olugbemiro Jegede has been awarded the 2015 International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) Prize of Excellence for Lifelong Contribution to the Field of open and distance education worldwide.
The selection of Professor Jegede, who is the current Secretary to the Government of Kogi State was made by the international jury of experts in open and distance education. Professor Jegede, the Foundation Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria from 203 to 2010, was the immediate past Secretary General of the Association of African Universities (AAU), is the implementing agency for the African Union in the areas of higher education, research and capacity developing in universities and other institutions of higher learning throughout Africa. He was invited by Governor Idris Wada on 2 July 2012 to be the SSG of Kogi State. Professor Jegede, who had an 8-year appointment with AAU resigned his position to come to Kogi because in his words, ‘I wanted to break all the bridges out there to concentrate on the job in Kogi State, which is exceptionally important to my community and people’.
ICDE is the leading global membership organization for enhancing the quality of open, distance, flexible and online education, including e-learning. ICDE which is 77years old, holds its 26th World Conference in South Africa from 13 to 17 October, 2015 where Professor Jegede will formally receive the coveted award. The conference and the global award to Professor Jegede will show case Nigeria’s contribution to global educational development and Professor Jegede’s unique influence in local, national, regional and international educational development. Professor Jegede is one of the few persons in the world who hold two Professorial Chairs in two distinct field of education. He was made a Professor of Science Education in 1989 and also a Professor of Research in Open and Distance Learning in 1997. He has written or contributed to 25 books and has over 156 journal and other publications in both fields. Just a few months ago, he was made the first Professor Emeritus in open and distance education by the National Open University of Nigeria.
His nomination is based upon his lifelong achievements which represent significant contributions to, and has greatly impacted on the international community of open and distance education. Professor Jegede, who is a graduate of Ahmadu bello University, Zaria and The University College, Cardiff, UK, has made remarkabe tremendous contributions to the international community of open and distance education through exemplary and great leadership and excellence in open and distance education at regional level through the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE).
Highlights of the reasons for the selection of Professor Jegede for the award have been grouped and presented in six (6) sections as follows:
ODL in the various continent of the world
Professor Olugbemiro Jegede has contributed globally to the development of ODL across several continents including the Pacific (Australia), Asia (Hong Kong and China) and Africa. From Curtin University of Technology, Perth Australia in 1988 through the University of Southern Queensland from 1991 to 1997 and to the Open University of Hong Kong from 1997 to 2003, Professor Jegede contributed in no small measure to raising the profile of research on ODL. He was foundation Director of the various research centres established in the Universities he worked in. While at the Open University of Hong he contributed tremendously to the modernisation of ODL in Mainland China embarked upon from 1997. He moved to Africa in 2001 to institutionalised ODL in Nigeria and establish the National Open University of Nigeria.
At a time when open and distance learning required serious global advocacy, Professor Jegede was invited as guest editor of a special issue of the FID Review, a journal of the International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) based in The Hague, Holland on ‘Distance Education: Current Impact, Future Trends’. This was in recognition of the article [Prospects for educational applications of Computer Mediated Communication in developing countries. FID NewsBulletin. 44(11), 263-267] which he contributed to a 1994 issue of the FID NewsBulletin, Professor Jegede was the Chair of the Committee which developed and facilitated the setting up of the electronic network for the Asia Association of Open Universities (AAOU).
International Council for Distance Education (ICDE)
Professor Olugbemiro Jegede has contributed to the global development of open and distance education through the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) by a number of significant contributions. He was invited by the Executive Council of the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) to Chair its International Research Committee in 2001. That same year he was invited by the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) Standing Conference of Presidents (SCOP) to lead a Team of international ODL researchers to investigate and develop a research agenda for ICDE. This was completed and the report made to the ICDE World Conference which held in Dusseldorf, Germany from 1-5 April 2001.
Professor Jegede also served as a member of the Local Organising Committee and member of the International Programme Committee of The International Council for Open and Distance Education 20th World Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Hong Kong, 3-5 June 2003. He served as a Member of The International Programme Committee of The International Council for Open and Distance Education 20th World Conference on Open Learning and Distance Education, Dusseldorf, Germany, 1-5 April 2001. He was a member of the Planning Committee of the International Council on Open & Distance Education Special Conference of Principals and Chief Executives (ICDE-SCOP) of Open Universities Annual Conference hosted by the Open University of Hong Kong in 2001. He was a member of the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) 24th World Conference Programme Committee for the World Conference held in Oct. 2-5 2011 in Indonesia.
World Bank and ODL
When the World Bank decided to publicise ODL through a series of online based network of expertise, activities and major regional developments in the late nineties, Professor Jegede, at the time he was the Director of ODL Research Centre at the Open University of Hong was appointed as the Manager of the East Asia regional node of the World Bank Global Distance Education Network from June 1997 to 2002. He also served as the Chair of the Academic Programme Sub-Committee of the 12th Asia Association of Open Universities Annual Conference hosted by the Open University of Hong Kong, and the initiator of the first Conference on Research in Distance & Adult Learning in Asia (CRIDALA) from 21-24 June 2000.
Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
In 2000 to 2001, Professor Jegede served as a Member of the Commonwealth of Learning Knowledge Management Roundtable which recommended the Commonwealth Open Learning Interactive Network for Knowledge Sharing (COLINKS). From May to Aug 2008, he was a member of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Quality Audit Team to audit the University of South Africa (UNISA) preparation for their National Quality Assessment.
Africa and with the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE)
In 2001 Professor Olugbemiro Jegede was made the National Coordinator the National Open and Distance Learning Programmes and was appointed as the founding Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on October 15, 2003 and successfully completed his tenure with a string of laudable achievements on Thursday 14 October 2010.
At a time when Open and Distance Education was making a foothold in Africa, he took up the challenge of hosting the 2nd African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) Conference in Nigeria in 2008 when other countries and universities shied away from taking up the task. From 2005 to 2009, Professor Jegede served as a member of the National Open and Distance Committee (NODEC); a body set up by the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) to advise on policy, framework, facilitation and management of ODL in Nigeria.
Professor Jegede was Chairman/President of the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) from 2009 to 2011. He presided over and supervised the daily management of the affairs of the continental body to which all open and distance learning institutions and organisations in Africa are registered. He also chaired the quarterly Executive Board meetings of the Council.
Professor Jegede spearheaded a major and significant development in ODL on the continent of Africa by the establishment of the ACDE Quality Assurance & Accreditation Agency (QAAA) as a continental body to manage, monitor, accredit and audit quality and build capacity for quality assurance in ODL on the continent. The office is located in Nigeria and being hosted by the Nigerian government at NOUN. Professor Jegede acted as the founding Director for two years.
Towards the end of his team as President of the ACDE Professor Jegede began the intercontinental cooperation on ODL between ACDE and China in 2010 From April, 2013 Professor Jegede was appointed ACDE Goodwill Ambassador by the African Council for Distance Education, a role he is performing creditably well for the organisation and in lifting the game of ODL in Africa. Some of the presentations and special speaking engagements and invitations which show case some of his contributions include the following:
Jegede, O. J. (2013). Open Learning for Development: Towards Empowerment and Transformation. An Inaugural Keynote Address Delivered at the 7th Pan-Commonwealth Forum, held at the Abuja International Conference Centre, Abuja-Nigeria, 2-6 December.
Jegede, O. J. (2011). ‘Mobility of Programmes: ODL & Access’. An Invited Keynote Address to the International Association of Universities (IAU) 4th Global Meeting of Associations of Universities (GMA IV) on Internationalization of Higher Education: New Players, New Approaches held at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi, India, 11-12 April.
Jegede, O. J. (2010). ‘The History of ACDE Quality Assurance & Accreditation Agency’. A Presentation at the African Council for Distance Education Quality Assurance & Accreditation Agency (ACDE-QAAA) Workshop on Familiarisation and EQA systems & Processes, Lagos, Nigeria, 18-20 November.
Jegede, O.J. (2009). Enhancing Access, Quality, Research & Innovation in ODL in Africa. A Presentation of the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) to the 4th Ordinary Session of the Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union held in Mombasa, Kenya (COMEDAF IV), from 23-24 November 2009.
Jegede, O.J. (2009). ACDE Continental Quality Assurance Initiative. A Presentation at the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) Workshop for Vice Chancellors/Heads of ODL Institutions, Nairobi-Kenya, 22nd August 2009.
Jegede, O. J. (2009). The Technology Race: Expanding opportunities or deepening the divide: Contribution to Theme No IV: ICTs in Higher Education: Breaking New Grounds as part of the Parallel workshops on the theme: Equity, Access, Quality in the 2009 World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE 2009) entitled The New Dynamics of Higher Education and Research for Societal Change and Development held at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris 5-8 July 2009
Jegede, O. J. (2009). From convocation to flexible learning: The role of ODL in community development. Being An Invited 2nd ODL Occasional Lecture Series of the University of South Africa Institute for Open and Distance Learning, held at the Senate Hall, Theo van Wijk Building, UNISA Main Campus, Pretoria, on 29 June 2009.
Jegede, O. J. (2009). ODL in Nigeria: A Country Report. A Presentation of Nigeria’s ODL Country Report at the COL Forum on a Decade of Open and Distance Learning in The Commonwealth: Achievements and Challenges held at Abuja Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Nigeria, 18-20 May, 2009.
Jegede, O.J. (2008). ACDE Quality Assurance Working Group Report at the 2nd ACDE Conference and General Assembly held at NOUN, Lagos: The formation of the two working groups was adopted. July 2008.
When the first attempt made in Nigeria to introduce education on a massive scale through the establishment of Open University of Nigeria in 1983 was truncated by the military regime in 1984, no one thought that open and distance learning will ever surface, again let alone survive, till Professor Olugbemiro Jegede was invited in 2001 by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to kick start the setting up of the foundation for ODL in 2001 and a new open university, The National Open University of Nigeria in 2003. Without any shadow of doubt, NOUN has blossomed to be the foremost university in Nigeria that now graduates over 5000 students annually, as a major capacity building source. This has helped the nation to plug the void of human resources and is providing solutions to poverty alleviation, enhancing employment opportunities and creating wealth for a large section of the country.
His recent major contributions to the extension of the frontiers of open and distance learning in Nigeria and the world can be gleaned from his various presentations and especially the following six landmark keynote addresses:
Jegede, O. J. (2013). Open Learning for Development: Towards Empowerment and Transformation. An Inaugural Keynote Address Delivered at the 7th Pan-Commonwealth Forum, held at the Abuja International Conference Centre, Abuja-Nigeria, 2-6 December.
Jegede, O. J. (2012). Enhancing Educational Development in Nigeria through E-Learning. An Invited Keynote Address at the 16th Annual Public Lecture of the Uduogie Ivowi Education Foundation held at the NERDC Conference Centre, Central Business District, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos on Saturday, 8 December.
Jegede, O. J. (2011). ‘E-Learning for Effective Educational Service Delivery’. An Invited Keynote Address at the University of Nigeria Nsukka Institute of Education 2011 Annual National Conference with the Theme: “Optimising e-Learning Opportunities for Effective Educational Service Delivery” held at Princess Alexandria Auditorium, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria 9-12 May.
Jegede, O. J. (2010). ‘Introduction to the ACDE-QAA Workshop’. A Presentation at the African Council for Distance Education Quality Assurance & Accreditation Agency (ACDE-QAAA) Workshop on Familiarisation and EQA systems & Processes, Lagos, Nigeria, 18-20 November.
Jegede, O. J. (2010). Innovative Delivery of Literacy Instruction Through Technology in the 21st Century Global Development. An Invited Contribution at the Eighth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting on Education For All on ‘Literacy for Development’, held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria, 21-24 June 2010.
Jegede, O.J. (2009). Enhancing Access, Quality, Research & Innovation in ODL in Africa. A Presentation of the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) to the 4th Ordinary Session of the Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union held in Mombasa, Kenya (COMEDAF IV), from 23-24 November 2009.
Jegede’s Theory of Collateral Learning
A major landmark in the education and the development of knowledge through which Professor Jegede has contributed to the world is his theory of collateral learning. A theory of collateral learning, propounded in 1995 by Professor Jegede, is suggested to explain how non-Western learners attempt to cope with science learning within a classroom environment not very receptive to their indigenous knowledge. Jegede’s Theory of Collateral Learning has been cited as shown below and, at the last count, has been studied by over 56 doctoral graduates world-wide. This theory applies to both face-to-face and open and distance learning.
