UB Vice-Chancellor, VC, Prof. Vincent Pryde Kehtinga Titanji, gave his blessings to the programme Friday, November 30."The Distance Education Programme will start with the commencement of the Department of Nursery and Primary Education with a subsequent degree in that line of study," the VC announced. "It fits in our professional objectives and for our communities," Titanji added.

The VC prayed that the programme should bring education to the doorsteps of Cameroonians while upgrading teachers without disturbing their smooth operations in their respective schools.

He reminded the staff and officials of the Faculty of Education who have their hands on the plough that there is no turning back on the Distance Learning Programme.The Dean of Education, Prof. Therese Mungah ShaloTchombe, said they are pursuing the project progressively and systematically because quality must be ensured.

She reassured that the B.Ed. and M.Ed. degrees by distance respect all the norms of degree programmes offered by UB for admission, teaching, assessment and examination.Tchombe explained that nursery and primary school teachers should also enjoy higher professional privileges because they deal with children during the impressionable years of development.

The representative of the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs. Itoe observed that the Distance Learning Education Programme is an opportunity for Cameroonian teachers to receive professional education in their training and practice.

Prof. Ivo Leke Tambo of the National Focal Point on the Commonwealth of Learning said the University has a lot to gain from the distance learning programmes.Talking on The Relevance of Distance Education Policy in Cameroon, Prof. Ajaga Nji from the University of Dschang said Distance Education is out to reduce poverty in our society by creating opportunities for people to get out of that.

He advised that the development of Distance Education Learning Programmes have to be meticulous especially at the level of policy formulation at the micro and macro levels.

Dr. Sunday Reju, Director, Distance Learning Education, National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, based in Lagos, made a plea to UB to win trophies in the areas of Distance Learning Education.

Signing Of MOUs

To articulate UB's zeal to ensure that its Distance Education Learning Programmes go places, the VC signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Ministry of Basic Education and University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.

He gave an insight on what he bargained for. "It will expand the offer. We can reach more people, without them coming to Buea and they will receive the same training. The Ministry of Basic Education will assist us in enabling the teachers who will come in UB for the programmes.

The University of Education in Ghana got a wealth of experience in this field, which will be an opportunity for south-south cooperation, technology transfer, experience sharing and more."