The President of University of the People (UoPeople), Shai Reshef, the world’s first non-profit, tuition-free, accredited, online university, has said that a tuition-free, online model for tertiary education can solve the vast shortage of university seats, impacting millions of people in Africa and around the world.
Reshef, who has 20 years of experience in the international education market, said a private sector partnership, would, in no small way, solve the problem of unavailability of university seats in Africa.
Giving his online university experience, Reshef said the university had embarked on “a drive to rapidly increase its footprint and reach for African students,” through Microsoft- UoPeople partnership in offering of 1000 UoPeople scholarships for African youth.
“Scholarship recipients are also eligible for professional training from Microsoft, mentorship by Microsoft employees, internships, and job opportunities with Microsoft and their affiliates in Africa, upon graduation. UoPeople sees this collaboration as an extraordinary opportunity to both empower potential African students and encourage other international corporations to follow suit,” Reshef told the Nigerian Tribune, recently.
Reshef also said public sector agreements would go a long way in solving education challenges in the continent, intimating that the Bayelsa State government had entered a partnership with the university to “support students towards achieving Bachelor Degrees in Computer Science or Business Administration.
“This $1M collaboration will be carried out through the establishment of a dedicated center for students to access computers and the internet in Bayelsa.
“The programme will assist deserving youth who have completed high school in Bayelsa, are proficient in English and have been screened for suitable university education,” he said.
He added that “these collaborations and others like them could potentially make higher education accessible to millions of Africans across the continent.
I hope that the future success of these monumental partnerships will encourage other companies and governments to join forces with UoPeople and eliminate the barriers to higher education,” says Reshef.
Reshef said the UoPeople’s goal “is simple – to democratise higher education, by opening the gates to all qualifies candidates, regardless of financial, geographic, societal or personal constraints. These two collaborations are perfect examples of how this goal can be achieved- through corporate and government collaborations.
“This is the path for bridging the gap between the existing seats in local universities and the demand for seats by qualified students. Partnering with local governments and international corporations is the way to achieve this goal, and UoPeople hopes that these exciting agreements with Microsoft and the Bayelsa State are only the beginning.”
Reshef said the institution, founded in 2009, offers Associate and Bachelor degree programs in Business Administration and Computer Science, in partnership with Yale ISP law School for research; New York University to accept students; Microsoft for scholarships, access to its certificate programs, mentoring, internships and employment opportunities; and Hewlett-Packard, for general support, scholarships for women and internships, among others.
SOURCE..TRIBUNE
http://www.tribune.com.ng/news/news-headlines/item/6599-online-model-for-tertiary-education-can-solve-varsity-seats-shortage-don
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