Olowolafe calls for education revolution, champions open learning at Miva convocation

Michael Olumide

Newly installed Pro-Chancellor of Miva Open University, Dr. Tunji Olowolafe, has called for a fundamental transformation of Nigeria’s higher education system, insisting that quality education must be made accessible to all citizens regardless of geography, income level, or social status.

He made the remarks at the maiden convocation ceremony of Miva Open University held in Lagos, where he delivered a strong defence of open and distance learning as a credible and transformative model for expanding access to higher education.

According to him, Nigeria’s education system must evolve beyond traditional classroom constraints and embrace flexible, technology-driven models that reflect the realities of modern learners.

“Democratizing education does not mean lowering standards,” Olowolafe said. “It means refusing to allow the conditions of learning to become a barrier to the quality of learning. It means designing systems that meet students where they are, not systems that demand students rearrange their entire lives to fit a model built for a different era.”

Drawing from Nigeria’s educational history, he referenced the legacy of the late Obafemi Awolowo, particularly his pioneering efforts in free education and educational broadcasting, which expanded access to learning beyond conventional classrooms.

Olowolafe noted that institutions like Miva Open University represent a modern continuation of that vision, leveraging digital tools to remove barriers that have long limited access to tertiary education.

“Where the student cannot travel to the classroom, the classroom must learn to travel to the student,” he said, stressing that technology now makes it possible to bridge long-standing educational gaps across Africa.

He also challenged the perception that open and distance learning is inferior to traditional university education, warning that such assumptions have historically led to underinvestment in a system capable of addressing Africa’s expanding demand for higher education.

The Pro-Chancellor maintained that graduates of the institution have undergone rigorous academic training and should take pride in their achievements, noting that the system is designed to maintain strict academic standards.

“The graduates before me today did not receive a diluted education. They were held to rigorous standards. They were assessed, challenged and stretched,” he said.

“They paid for their own data, sat their own examinations and asked no one for permission to be ambitious.”

He further highlighted the challenge of maintaining quality while scaling enrolment, describing it as one of the most critical tests facing universities globally, especially in rapidly expanding systems like open learning.

According to him, the strength of any serious academic institution lies not only in delivering excellence to a small cohort, but in sustaining that excellence as student numbers grow.

Olowolafe commended Miva Open University for what he described as its commitment to balancing expansion with academic integrity, noting that the institution has resisted the temptation to compromise standards in pursuit of growth.

He also acknowledged recent reforms and investments in Nigeria’s education sector, expressing cautious optimism that continued policy direction would improve learning outcomes nationwide.

Addressing the graduating class, Olowolafe urged the students to embrace lifelong learning and see themselves as ambassadors of a new educational model built on discipline, ambition, and self-development.

“The credential certifies that you can learn. The real test is whether you keep doing it, deliberately, aggressively, without waiting for an institution to organise it for you,” he said.

He further challenged the graduates to contribute meaningfully to national development, arguing that Nigeria’s greatest challenge is not a lack of resources but a deficit of disciplined and purposeful leadership.

“What Nigeria lacks most is not resources. It is organised will. It is people with training, with values, and with the determination to point at something bigger than personal comfort,” he added.

Concluding his address, Olowolafe pledged his commitment to strengthening both accessibility and academic excellence within the institution, insisting that openness and quality must not be treated as mutually exclusive goals.

“We do not have to choose between quality and openness, and we will not,” he declared, describing the pioneer graduating class as trailblazers who will shape the institution’s future legacy.

“You are not just graduates of a university. You are the first chapter of history that has not yet been fully written. Write it well,” he concluded.