THE TERTIARY Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) says institutions that fall short of their enrolment, academic performance thresholds, or fail to retire their funds appropriately, risk losing their funding.
The Executive Secretary, TETFUND, Arc. Sonny Echono, gave the warning in Abuja on Monday at a One-Day Strategic Engagement with Heads of institutions, Bursars and Heads of Procurement of TETFund beneficiary institutions
Echono questioned the inability of several institutions to access, utilise, and properly account for allocated funds, noting that unutilised funds would be reallocated to institutions that are ready and willing to act.
He expressed worry in the shortfall of students’ enrolment in some institutions and stressed the importance of accountability in the utilisation of the funds released to beneficiary institutions.
Citing an example of an institution in the Southeast region, Echono revealed that, a Polytechnic, with only 30 students had been operating for four years while still accessing public funding.
“This development is embarrassing, particularly for a region known for its strong educational culture.
“This kind of inefficiency undermines our mission and brings unnecessary scrutiny from the presidency and the public,’’ he said.
He also criticised institutions that abandon ongoing projects giving excuse of failures of previous administrations.
“When you inherit an office, you inherit both assets and liabilities.
“We urge you to take ownership and work closely with the community to resolve long-standing infrastructure challenges,’’ he said.
The TETFund executive secretary highlighted recent efforts to provide hospital accommodation for medical students during clinical rotations, noting it as a positive change set to be expanded in the year.
He also lauded institutions that have creatively applied for infrastructure support and assured them of the government’s willingness to approve such initiatives, provided transparency and accountability are maintained.
In response to criticisms of proliferation of institutions, Echono cited Nigeria’s growing youth population and the need to expand access to education.
“Our young people make up nearly 60 per cent of the population. If we don’t create space for them, the consequences will be dire.
“We must ensure we increase enrolment because we want a large chunk of our students to get access to education,’’ he said.
Speaking on the suspension of foreign component of the Academic Staff Training and Development scholarship, Echono said the Fund was willing to shift the focus inward.
According to him, TETFund will empower local institutions, enhance their facilities, and welcome international partners to establish needed programmes.
“Although, knowledge is universal, but it must also be contextual. Our universities must be centres of excellence, not just hubs of aspiration,’’ he said.
The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, commended TETFund for its continued support in transforming the nation’s higher and technical education landscape.
Ribadu, represented by the National Project Coordinator, of NUC, Joshua Attah, lauded TETFund’s critical role in enhancing infrastructure, research, staff development, and academic quality across country’s tertiary institutions.
On his part, the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, called for frank discussions on procurement processes and institutional capacity building.
Represented by Prof. Bashiru Hassan, an official from NBTE, Bugaje said there was need to speak openly about the challenges affecting institutional operations, including compliance with procurement guidelines. (NAN)
