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“Yearly, over one million students are denied entrance into [Nigerian] universities due to limited spaces and other reasons. However, I believe that education should be widely available, effective and enjoyable. This is why we are building Miva University,”Sim Shagaya, co-founder and CEO of uLesson & Miva University, said. Despite the challenges faced by public universities in the country such as low lecturer-to-student ratio, poor infrastructural facilities, and frequent strikes by university staff, a fully-licensed degree awarding institution, Miva Open University, is set to be launched.
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According to Iheanyi Akwitti, Senior Vice President, Academics at Miva, the university will offer undergraduate courses in computing, including computer science, cyber security, data science, and software engineering. It will also have a school of management and social science with degrees in business management, economics, accounting, and public policy and administration. The university’s mission, according to Shagaya, is to provide accessible and high-quality education that prepares students to succeed in the digital marketplace. Miva University is seeking to hire a Vice-Chancellor who holds a PhD and has at least ten years of work experience in a senior leadership position. Mary Efretei-Ogunkoya, Head of People at Miva, emphasized the need for passionate individuals to help transform the tertiary education landscape. The announcement comes nine days after uLesson terminated its 1:1 private coding tutoring program for children between the ages of 4 to 18, known as DevKids. This was the second time the product was discontinued, following changes in company direction and focus.
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In November 2021, uLesson discontinued DevKids due to high customer acquisition costs compared to revenue. Four months later, the company rebranded and relaunched DevKids as uLesson Coding School. However, the coding school was shut down nine months later. Miva University, which offers courses in computing and management, will compete with AltSchool Africa, another Nigerian EdTech company that offers certifications in software engineering, product and data, and has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to scale its efforts. Featured Image Source: Tech in Africa
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