NUC Reacts As DELSU Takes Big Decision On AI, Issues New Order To ICT Directorate

By Faith Ebireri/Daixy Obieh/Charity Amali 

The Vice Chancellor of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Prof. Andy Egwunyenga has announced that the university is set to roll out its Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy to harness the potentials of AI and tackle its associated challenges head-on.

Egwunyenga disclosed that the proposed comprehensive AI policy will guide the university staff and students in responsibly and ethically integrating AI in the institution learning, research and community development efforts.

The Vice Chancellor spoke at an international hybrid workshop on DELSU AI policy held at the university’s Abraka campus on Thursday.

“Our aim is to develop a comprehensive AI policy that will guide our university in responsibly and ethically integrating AI into our operations”, he said at the workshop with the theme, “towards responsible use of AI in DELSU for teaching, research and community service”.

“This policy will serve as a framework of ensuring that AI is used to enhance teaching and learning, improve research outcomes, streamline administrative processes and promote social impact.

“We believe that AI has the potential to revolutionise education, by providing personalised learning experiences, intelligent tutoring systems and automated reading.

“By leveraging AI, we can create a more equitable and inclusive learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of our students.

”In the realm of research, AI can accelerate discoveries, enable new breakthroughs and address complex societal challenges.

“By utilising AI powered tools and techniques, our researchers can analyse vast data, identify patterns and develop innovative solutions to pressing global issues.”

Egwunyenga, who was represented at the workshop by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Rosemary Okoh, explained that despite the numerous benefits of AI, the integration of the technology also poses significant challenges and ethical considerations, stressing that efforts must be made to address issues such as biases, privacy, accountability, and the potential for job misplacement.

He said DELSU is committed to partnering with relevant stakeholders in its bid to harness the power of AI for the betterment of the university and society, adding that appropriate steps are being taken to mainstream AI in the school’s teaching and learning process.

“To emphasise our commitment to implementing this policy once adopted, the Vice Chancellor has already directed the ICT Director to work with one of the ICT Vendors to kickstart teaching our students data analytics, data science and machine learning in this coming session.”

Apparently impressed by the initiative, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Amb. Chris Maiyaki, commended DELSU for being the first university in Nigeria to develop a policy document on the use of AI in university education in Nigeria.

Maiyaki, who was a Special Guest of Honour at the event, pointed out that AI has become a moving force in almost every field of human endeavour and can, therefore, no longer be ignored by any organisation that desires to remain relevant.

The NUC boss, who participated in the workshop via zoom, described DESLU AI Policy as timely and critical because of the need to venture into AI with utmost caution since Nigeria is yet to attain the level of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) sophistication of the advanced nations.

He said the NUC is excited that DELSU has blazed the trail in adopting an AI Policy and declared that the Commission will support the university in ensuring the smooth implementation of the policy so that other universities in Nigeria could emulate DELSU.

In his opening address, the Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education and Chairman of the Occasion, Prof Nyerhovwo Tonukari, said the DELSU AI Policy initiative is in line with Delta State Government’s desire to integrate ICTs into its service delivery mechanisms.

The Commissioner, represented by his Special Assistant, Dr Omoefe Okpimah, pointed out that as AI is ever evolving, the DELSU AI Policy will help the university maximise the potentials of AI in its duties of teaching, research and community service.

Presenting the keynote address, Prof Peter Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Facilitator-General of NUC/Virtual Institute for Capacity Building for Higher Education (NUC/VICBHE), commended DELSU’s pioneering efforts at developing AI policy, a feat he attributed to the impressive performance of some staff of the university at the national level at the recently concluded NUC/VICBHE Module 8 course on AI.

Okebukola emphasised the relevance of AI in the present age and called on the university to build AI capacity by educating staff and students on proper use of AI, provide mechanisms to check AI abuse and provide the necessary infrastructure for AI use in the university.

The workshop attracted participants within and outside Nigeria, including the President of National Association of AI Practitioners and former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, who reviewed DELSU Draft AI Policy, Prof Sami Souissi from Universite de Lille, France, and Engr Nikita Vasilev from London.

At the end of the workshop, the participants issued a communique which called for more emphasis on how AI can be harnessed for administrative duties by non-teaching staff of universities.

The event witnessed an impressive attendance by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof Ochuko Anomohanran, the Provost of College of Medicine, Prof. Emmanuel Odokuma, the University Orator and Chairman of Ceremonials, Prof. Enajite Ojaruega, deans of faculties, directors of academic and non-academic units, lecturers and non-teaching staff from DELSU and other universities,