Prof. Dr Cherno Omar Barry, vice chancellor of IOU said knowledge seeking up to secondary school is just building a foundation to get you prepared to expand your learning. “University is a universe of knowledge where you go to learn and expand your knowledge on diverse areas," he stated.
Prof. Barry added that the IOU combines quality and morality in all its courses at an affordable cost. "IOU is a truly international academic institution with academia and students from all over the world. IOU students can study at their own space and gain knowledge to strengthen their employability skills," he also said.
Dr Gibril Jaw, Chief Executive Officer of the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA) said the difference between high school and university is knowledge creation and dissemination.
"A university that does not conduct research can be termed as a high school. Knowledge creation is the strongest pillar in university setting. But what type of research do we need in our universities? Are we doing research to satisfy our intellectual curiosity just to discover things for the sake of knowing them? What do we do with that knowledge? What is the use of that knowledge if it cannot solve our societal problem?" he questioned.
According to him, academia conduct research to fulfill the academic promotion criteria set by universities to support the development agenda of our country.
“Research is an intensive and extensive search for solving problems in a society. Research in education has contributed in no small measure to the solution of educational problem, development of human capital in education, promotion of social progress, development and national survival," he concluded.
