The minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has revealed that the culture of giving out handouts in the nation’s tertiary institutions will be phased out soon.
The minister, who spoke at the 8th Weekend Ministerial briefing organised by the ministry recently, said that the government was doing everything possible to ensure that Nigerian tertiary institutions of learning catch up with similar schools in the world.
Adamu explained that tertiary institutions in the country are expected to deploy functional e-libraries and embrace e-books in their schools, adding that with that, the sales of handouts will be phased out in the school systems.
Adamu remarked that library services in the education sector are indispensable components for teaching and learning processes, adding that the Librarian Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) has successfully crafted the necessary instrument to regulate the Nigerian library and information science sector.
“It has also developed a strategic plan which it reviews from time-to-time to make it responsive to the needs of the sector. The council has also been conducting induction courses for qualified librarians every year.
“As I speak, the total number of certified librarians in Nigeria stands at 5,829,” he said. The minister explained that the council has also developed guidelines and standards for different categories of libraries including the academic libraries.
“These standards are effective tools for regulating the library sector. Before now, there were no standards in place on the setting up and running of libraries effectively.
“A chapter of the guidelines and standards for academic libraries addressed issues relating to the deployment of Information and Communication Technologies in the libraries.
“For instance, library apps on mobile phones held by students will be more cost effective. It is our hope that by 2023, there will be no sale of handouts in any of our tertiary institutions,” he added.
