Achievers University Commended for Tuition-Free Programmes, Encouraged to Promote Community Engagement

Achievers University, Owo, has been commended for its commitment to enhancing access to higher education through its tuition-free programmes.

The university was also encouraged to exemplify the role of institutions in advancing quality education by embedding community engagement and service learning into its core mission.

The Orangun of Oke-Ila, Osun State, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, gave this commendation while delivering the 14th Convocation Lecture at the university’s multipurpose hall on Friday.

In his lecture, titled Modelling Quality Education for the Reach of the Vulnerable, Oba Adedokun stated that universities have a “moral and pragmatic responsibility to bridge the educational divide for vulnerable populations.”

The monarch, who is also the founder and proprietor of Abolarin College, Oke-Ila Orangun, and who has been providing quality education to vulnerable students through his school, stressed that “universities can pave the way for an inclusive and transformational education system that empowers all learners, especially the most vulnerable.”

While highlighting the role of universities in this regard, Oba Adedokun, a legal luminary, noted that tertiary institutions can achieve this through conducting research into effective education models, partnering with local and global organisations, training the next generation of educators and policymakers, and integrating service-learning projects.

He further suggested that universities could act as catalysts for policy advocacy and lead efforts to use technology to enhance education for vulnerable populations by developing open-access digital platforms that provide free learning materials to marginalised learners.

He also advocated for piloting AI-based tools for personalised learning and assessment in underserved communities.

While observing that challenges vary by region, Oba Adedokun pointed out that common themes such as poverty, teacher shortages, and infrastructure deficits underscore the need for global, regional, and local solutions.

He called for a multi-stakeholder approach that includes governments, universities, international organisations, the private sector, and local communities to address these systemic barriers.

Oba Adedokun also called on the global community, through agencies like the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), UNICEF, and Education Cannot Wait, to address these disparities through policy advocacy, funding, and capacity building. He further urged the government to increase investment in education by allocating more resources to the sector.

The Pro-Chancellor of Achievers University, Dr Bode Ayorinde, described the 14th Convocation Lecture as a milestone in the history of the university, noting that it was the first time a lawyer had delivered the lecture.

Meanwhile, 700 students of the university will be presented for the convocation ceremony on Saturday, with the events of the 14th Convocation Ceremony concluding on Sunday with a Thanksgiving Service at the university’s multipurpose hall.

A Jumu’at Thanksgiving service was earlier held on Friday at the Central Mosque, Owo.