A SURVEY OF STUDENTS AND FACILITATORS' PERCEPTIONS OF PROBLEMS IN OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM, OYO AND KWARA STATES, NIGERIA

National Open University which was formally established in Nigeria in 1983 aimed at bridging the existing gaps in education. The study is a survey research of descriptive type which unveiled the myriads of problems facing the National Open University of Nigeria as perceived by the facilitators and the students in Kwara and Oyo States. Forty facilitators and fifty students randomly selected from Kwara and Oyo States study centres participated in the study. Questionnaire was the major instrument used while simple percentage and chi-square statistics were used to analyze the research questions and the two hypotheses generated respectively. The findings of the study revealed lack of standard classrooms, inadequate supply of electricity and inadequate funding which are the variables of resource allocation and organization, as major problems facing the Open University Programme in Nigeria. However, the study revealed that there is no significant difference between facilitators’ and students’ perception of the problems associated with resource allocation and organization of programmes. It was therefore, recommended among others that adequate funds should be made available by the government, the institution should make course materials and computer-based media available at all study centres for students’ use. Also, uninterrupted academic calendar of the university must be ensured while internet services should be provided at all study centres