ICT Infrastructural and Technical Challenges: A Major Impediment towards the Development of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Nigeria

Abstract

In the fast-growing population of Africa, Nigeria has become the most populous nation with over 177,000,000 inhabitants and consisting of about 32% youths (Abdulrahman et al, 2014). Sustainable development can only be achieved through proper education at all levels. While the regular classroom-based educational programmes have been characterized by incessant strikes and ever-increasing requests for admission due to increasing population, the introduction and acceptance of Open and Distance Learning programmes (ODL) as an alternative to classroom based system, has become imperative to cater for the educational needs of the entire citizenry. Although there have been considerable investments in educational facilities in most schools offering ODL programmes, this research found that a lot still need to be put in place, considering that that high cost of internet access, tutor-learner relationship, educational tools and the packaging of ODL educational resources continues to pose tremendous challenges to students thereby affecting their learning rates and by extension, their academic performance.