International Open University

Last updated
International Open University
Islamic Online University Logo.png
Logo of the International Open University
Former names
Islamic Online University
MottoChanging the Nation Through Education
Type Private
Established2007
Accreditation NAQAA (National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority) [1]
Chancellor Bilal Philips
Vice-Chancellor Cherno Omar Barry
Students26,682 (spring 2020) [2]
Address
21 Kanifing Mosque Road, P.O. Box 2340, Kanifing South, KMC, The Gambia
Campus Online
Website http://iou.edu.gm/

The International Open University (IOU) is a private distance education university headquartered in Kanifing, The Gambia. It was founded by Bilal Philips, in 2007 and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Contents

History

The university was Initially established in 2001, [3] but temporarily ceased operations. In April 2007, it reopened under the name Islamic Online University with a greater offering of completely free short courses. [3] On January 13, 2020, it was announced that the institution's name has been changed to the International Open University. [4] [5]

Ernest Bai Koroma, the chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone (USL) welcomed the idea of establishing the IOU type Islamic institution. [6] In 2014, the Niger State Government paid the International Open University's Bachelor of Arts school fees for 35 students that registered from the state. [3]

As of 2018, the International Open University is amongst the most ethnically diverse universities in the world. [7]

In 2018, the International Open University's programs were ranked among the six best online Middle Eastern Studies programs by Successful Student, [8] although by June 2020 they had been removed from this list. [9]

In 2021, the online Kenyan newspaper Tuko ranked the International Open University among the top accredited distance learning universities in Africa, along with the University of Johannesburg, the University of Zambia, the University of South Africa, the University of Nairobi and the University of Pretoria, in addition to few other universities. [10]

In November 2022, the IOU Chancellor Dr. Bilal Philips paid a courtesy visit to Adama Barrow, the President of the Gambia, and offered scholarships worth USD 4,000,000 for education of underprivileged Gambians at the International Open University. [11]

Affiliations

The International Open University is a full member of Association of African Universities, [12] approved member of International Council for Open and Distance Education, [13] African Quality Assurance Network (AfriQAN), Association of Quality Assurance Agencies of the Islamic World (IQA), associate member of International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), [14] Asian Association of Open Universities, [15] as well as a member of International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE) and a member of the Talloires Network. [16]

Research

The International Open University launched a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Integrated Sciences, in 2019. [17]

Professor Dr. G. Hussein Rassool, the dean for the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, head of the Department of Psychology, Director of Research and Publications and Professor of Islamic Psychology at the International Open University is editor-in-chief of the journal. [18] [19]

Community service

The International Open University has set a mandatory community service for the students as a part of graduation requirements. In order to graduate, in addition to academic requirements, students are mandated to complete 216 hours of community service. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandinka people</span> West African ethnic group

The Mandinka or Malinke are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, The Gambia, southern Senegal and eastern Guinea. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest ethnolinguistic groups in Africa. They speak the Manding languages in the Mande language family, which are a lingua franca in much of West Africa. Virtually all of Mandinka people are adherent to Islam, mostly based on the Maliki jurisprudence. They are predominantly subsistence farmers and live in rural villages. Their largest urban center is Bamako, the capital of Mali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Economic Commission for Africa</span> United Nations continental organization formed in 1958

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its member states following a recommendation of the United Nations General Assembly. It is one of five regional commissions.

The Church of the Province of West Africa is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 17 dioceses in eight countries of West Africa, specifically in Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Ghana is the country with most dioceses, now numbering 11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Gourley</span>

Brenda Mary Gourley was the Vice-Chancellor of the Open University from 2002 until 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group</span> West African multilateral armed force

The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work together. It was largely supported by personnel and resources of the Nigerian Armed Forces, with sub-battalion strength units contributed by other ECOWAS members — Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Maada Bio</span> President of Sierra Leone since 2018

Julius Maada Wonie Bio is a Sierra Leonean politician who has served as president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leone from 16 January 1996 to 29 March 1996, in a military junta government known as the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC). Bio is the first democratically elected president of Sierra Leone born after Sierra Leone's independence from British colonial rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of the Philippines Open University</span> Public university in Laguna, Philippines

The University of the Philippines Open University(UPOU) is a public research university and is the fifth constituent university of the University of the Philippines System. The majority of UPOU students are based in the Philippines but all of its programs can be taken anywhere in the world. While primarily a virtual university, it has a physical campus that houses admin and faculty offices in Los Baños, Laguna, with Mega Learning Hubs (MLH) in Manila and Cebu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of the African Union</span> An African International agency

The individual member states of the African Union (AU) coordinate foreign policy through this agency, in addition to conducting their own international relations on a state-by-state basis. The AU represents the interests of African peoples at large in intergovernmental organizations (IGO's); for instance, it is a permanent observer at the United Nations' General Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West African Examinations Council</span> Examination body in West Africa

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is an examination board established by law to determine the examinations required in the public interest in the English-speaking West African countries, to conduct the examinations and to award certificates comparable to those of equivalent examining authorities internationally. Established in 1952, the council conducts exit examination in 5 English-speaking countries of West Africa. The council has an endowment fund, to contribute to education in West Africa, through lectures and aid to those who cannot afford education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badminton Africa</span> Governing body of badminton in Africa

Badminton Confederation Africa (BCA) is the governing body of badminton in Africa. It is one of the 5 continental bodies under the flag of the Badminton World Federation. It now has 46 member countries and 2 associate members. It was formerly called the Badminton Confederation of Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa Coast to Europe (cable system)</span> Optical-fiber submarine cable system

Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) is an optical-fiber submarine cable system serving 24 countries on the Europe, west coast and south Africa, managed by a consortium of 20 members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redeemer's University Nigeria</span> Nigerian private university

Redeemer's University is a private university in Ede, Osun State, Nigeria. Established in 2005, it is owned by the Redeemed Christian Church of God and situated off the Ibadan-Osogbo Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wawasan Open University</span> Private university in Penang, Malaysia

Wawasan Open University, abbreviated as WOU, is a private university located in Penang, Malaysia, that provides working adults with access to higher education via open distance learning (ODL).

Ahmadiyya Hospital New bussa provides humanitarian services to the people of New Bussa, Mokwa and its surrounding areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oku people (Sierra Leone)</span> Ethnic group of Sierra Leone

The Oku people or the Aku Marabout or Aku Mohammedans are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone and the Gambia, primarily the descendants of marabout, liberated Yoruba people who were released from slave ships and resettled in Sierra Leone as Liberated Africans or came as settlers in the mid-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Leone women's national cricket team</span> Cricket team

The Sierra Leone women's national cricket team represents the country of Sierra Leone in international women's cricket.

The West African College of Physicians is a professional society, founded in 1976, for medical specialists in the West African sub-region. The association promotes postgraduate specialist training, professional curriculum development and fellowship certification in six sub-specialties or faculties, Community Health, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Psychiatry and Laboratory Medicine, specifically concentrations in Anatomical Pathology, Chemical Pathology, Haematology and Medical Microbiology. The College also serves as a health policy advisor to many participating governments in West Africa.

The West African Games was an international multi-sport event between the nations of West Africa, which was held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. Opened on 27 August by Nigeria's head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo, ten countries took part in the eight-day competition. A total of eleven sports were contested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Judo Union</span> Governing body of judo in Africa

The African Judo Union (AJU) is the governing body of judo in Africa. It is one of the five continental confederations making up the International Judo Federation (IJF). AJU was formed on 28 November 1961 in Dakar (Senegal). AJU has headquarters in Madagascar and consists of 54 member federations.

References

  1. "National Accreditation and Quality (NAQAA)".
  2. "Statistics Spring 2010 – Spring 2020 | International Open University". 19 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Niger State Government Pays Islamic Online University BA Fees for 35 Students". Niger Times. March 2014. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  4. "Islamic Online University - IOU". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  5. onedeentech (2019-02-12). "IOU launches one million scholarship program in Sierra Leone". Sierra Leone Islamic Web. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  6. "Chancellor of IOU meets Chancellor of USL". Sierra Express. December 12, 2013. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  7. "Islamic Online University Signs Agreement with FBC". ayvnewspaper.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  8. "6 Best Online Middle Eastern Studies Programs". 2018-03-13.
  9. "Best Online Middle Eastern Studies Programs". 2018-03-13. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  10. Wanjala, Caiaphas (2021-04-28). "Top distance learning universities in Africa to enroll in 2021". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  11. thevoice (2022-11-10). "IOU Chancellor meets President Adama Barrow -" . Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  12. "Member in focus". Association of African Universities. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  13. "ICDE Institutional Members". ICDE. Archived from the original on 2022-10-01. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  14. "Islamic Online University | INQAAHE". www.inqaahe.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  15. "Associate Members". Asian Association of Open Universities. 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  16. "Islamic Online University (Gambia)". The Talloires Network. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  17. "About the Journal | Journal of Integrated Sciences". jis.iou.edu.gm. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  18. "G. Hussein Rassool". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  19. "Dr G Hussein Rassool Biography". crescent-of-care. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  20. "IOU Students Conduct Cleaning Exercise on MRCG at LSHTM Fajara Campus". 9 September 2021.