The Nation Newspaper

Tag: TETFUND

  • Provost hails TETFund as agency donates multimedia lab

    Provost hails TETFund as agency donates multimedia lab

    Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Umunze, Anambra State, Prof Josephat Ogbuagu, has described the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as the most important government agency providing facilities for education. Without interventions from TETFund, Ogbuagu said quality teaching would have eroded in most tertiary institutions.

    The provost spoke during the commissioning of the fully-equipped Multimedia Micro-teaching Laboratory donated to the college by TETFund.

    He praised the Federal Government for creating the agency to provide modern facilities in higher institutions to enhance quality education and service delivery. The agency’s intervention, he said, had improved teaching and learning in higher institutions, adding that it had also raised a generation of students who could compete with their peers globally.

    Ogbuagu said: “The college has benefitted immensely from the TETFund intervention. Most of the facilities we have today are courtesy of TETFund interventions and we have had a lot of achievements through the provision of necessary facilities to aid teaching and learning.”

    Handing over the multimedia facility to the management, the agency’s Director of Physical Planning, Mr Jonathan Achumie, said the Federal Government built the facility to ameliorate teaching, noting that the building had been equipped with best instrument.

    The handover ceremony was witnessed by the Deputy Provost, Mrs J.C, Madichie, the college Teaching Practice Co-ordinator, Mr A.C. Assimonye, Director of Works and Services, Mr D.C, Mojekwu, and Director Physical Planning and Statistics, Mr B.U. Agwunobi, among others.

  • TETFund revokes institutions’ approval over funds

    TETFund revokes institutions’ approval over funds

    Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), said the agency revoked approvals granted to some institutions over their inability to access their allocations for five years.

    Bogoro made this known when Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State visited him on Wednesday in Abuja.

    According to Bogoro, TETFund is striving to maintain its institutional image which is hinged on accountability and transparency.

    “Just about nine months ago, the Board of Trustees of TETFund had to vacate some approvals that have been lying for four to five years and were not accessed.

    “For some, even ordinary Approval in Principle (AIP) we never got from them; so we said no; there are some other institutions that need this money.

    “We had to revoke them and re-allocate to other institutions.’’

    NAN quoted the TETFund boss as saying, “that there were operational requirements that tertiary institutions in Niger State had not met, hence their inability to access much funds like other institutions in some states.”

    Earlier, Bello had expressed concern over the disparity in accessing TETFund intervention funds among higher institutions in the country.

    He said that the visit had offered him the opportunity of understanding TETFund modalities, adding that institutions in his state had to approach TETFund in the appropriate way.

    “I now understand how TETFund operates; we will go home and make corrections with regards to the procedure of accessing the funds.

    “I will meet with authorities of tertiary institutions in the state and iron out the issues we have in terms of accessing TETFund interventions.’’

    Bello commended TETFund for it accountability.

     

  • TETFund ranks BUK second in grant performance

    TETFund ranks BUK second in grant performance

    Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Prof Sulieman Bogoro, has said Bayero University, Kano (BUK) ranks second among universities that had performed creditably in the use of its grants.

    Speaking at the inauguration of some projects funded by TETFund at the old and permanent sites of the university in Kano, Bogoro said the Federal Government was inspired to pay good attention to the institution considering the giant strides it had accomplished within a short spell.

    He praised the management of the institution for collaborating to ensure that the grants were well utilised and the projects well executed.

    He said the university had proven its academic prowess under the purposeful leadership of its immediate past Vice Chancellor, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, expressing optimism that his successor, Prof Muhammad Bello, would  sustain the tempo.

    Also speaking, Prof Bello lauded the establishment of the Centre for Renewable Energy Research and the department of Petro-chemical engineering, which were among the projects inaugurated, as monumental edifices that would support research especially now that the country was in need of superb technological innovations.

    He noted that the university was effectively competing to meet the challenges of academic excellence and added that with the steps taken so far, nothing would stand as a clog in the wheel of realising such a goal.

    He thanked the federal government for according BUK the academic leverage to forge ahead, stressing that without decisive government intervention the effort would have come to naught.

     

  • TETFund grants are sustaining public varsities, says VC

    Vice Chancellor, Federal University Otuoke, (FUO), Prof Mobolaji Aluko, has said the government’s higher institutions would have collapsed if not for the cash from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

    He spoke when TETFund took members of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) on a tour of TETFund projects in FUO, University of Benin, Auchi Polytechnic, Ambrose Ali University, College of Education, Agbo, Delta State University, Abraka and Federal University of Petroleum Resources in Effurun, Delta State.

    He said over 90 per cent of projects in institutions were funded by TETFund.

    Aluko, and other managers, however, pleaded for easier process to implement TETFund projects to avoid delay.

    He said: “When TETFund allocates money to you, it is sure that you will get it. Without TETFund, many universities and other institutions would have gone underground. It means they may not function again.

    “Universities have been pleading to TETFund to allow us de-batch periodically so that one project will not delay another. Give us 85 per cent at the beginning.  The fact that they give us 50 per cent does not mean that we give the contractors the entire 50 per cent. We still give them based on valuation, so that we do not have to come back several times.That has been another problem.’’

    He continued: “Another problem is that they wouldn’t give you money if you have not retired the initial money.This causes trouble because once TETFund has allocated money to you, it will always be yours but that means that there will be a lot of money accumulated in TETFund for various institutions without access and you will also understand that vice chancellors change, physical planning directors change at different times and we get all these projects at different times.

    “I will tell you administering TETFund projects are difficult; so, if you do not have a good history of recurrence you can get confused. Many of the projects are confusingly tagged. The only things that differentiate them are the dates of allocation. TETFund must label the allocations better so that they themselves can monitor and it will also help us to monitor our projects.

    “TETFund has three special accounts; they are special projects account, normal intervention account and academic support account.  TETFund should give us more flexibility so that projects will move on. We are major beneficiaries of TETFund projects that are going on. We used TETFund money to upgrade many of the buildings in the university. To start up the university in 2012, we had to use TETFund money for renovations, buy vehicles and do roads. Our lectures have also gone on several trainings.”

    On why Chief Executive Officers (CEO) are excluded from the human capacity training by TETFund according to complaints by them during the inspection of projects, Aluko said: “We are the ones who made the decision for CEO of universities, polytechnics and colleges of Education not to be part of funds meant to train lecturers in various institutions. I support the exclusion. I go to conference if I want; nobody stops me. Why should I again be fighting with other staff over TETFund money for training when I can make a decision to go to other countries for training? I do not see that as an issue.”

    Other CEOs of the institutions the journalists visited during the tour attested to the fact that TETFund intervention fund has affected the institutions positively.

     

  • Varsities, others got TETFund’s N500b in 4 years, says Bogoro

    Varsities, others got TETFund’s N500b in 4 years, says Bogoro

    The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)  spent N500 billion for human and capacity building on universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in four years, the fund’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro, said yesterday.

    He spoke with reporters in Abuja after monitoring TETFund’s projects in various higher institutions.

    Bogoro, who frowned at complaints by some vice chancellors, rectors and provosts that they were not part of  TETFUND’s training process, said: “The vice chancellors, rectors or provosts, in terms of academic training, are not our priority. The lecturers are our priority. That is the TETFund’s intervention policy, because they are the drivers of communication and knowledge. If you take away the lecturers, you have created a gap that you cannot fill.’’

    The TETFund boss decried  what he described as the embarrassingly fallen standard of education.

    His words: “TETFund spent between N450 to 500 billion from 2011 to 2015 on human and capacity building on universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. When you talk about quality and ranking, reading culture has almost disappeared in Nigeria. I have been involved in the system for 34 years and I know what it means and what is required in respect of ranking, rating. I have scripts of undergraduates in the ‘80s and those in 2015 and the difference is clear.

    “When we, as teachers, tell you standards have fallen, believe it. We should not politicise the ranking and rating of universities and students. I can’t pass a student when he or she has failed.

    “Things have improved significantly in the last four, five years in the higher institutions, but the challenges are likely to be at the lower level. Talking about the number of persons with PhDs, courtesy of TETFund, we now have  lecturers in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education acquiring Master’s and PhDs within and outside the country.

    “Today, the standard has fallen but things are improving significantly. If we sustain this intervention, Nigerian universities will continue to rise in ranking, not only in African but among the 1,000 in the world.”

  • Don calls for improved funding for medical training

    Don calls for improved funding for medical training

    The Provost of College of Health Sciences of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof. Christy Mato, has called for improved funding for medical education.

    She identified lack of proper funding as the major challenge confronting the college at the federal university, stressing that funding was essential, in order to key into the latest medical  developments and  practice worldwide.

    Mato made the statement Thursday at the UNIPORT’s college, while inaugurating projects embarked upon by members of the 2005 Medicine final year class, to mark their ten years after graduation.

    The provost said: “You know we have academic and non academic staff, I thank God we now have the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) to help with development. We are very particular about it because things are changing all over the world.

    “We want to key into developments worldwide and train ourselves and eventually become a centre of excellence for training. So that people from other countries can come here (UNIPORT) to train. So, we need funding.

    “We are in temporary quarters. This is not our permanent place. Our permanent offices are being built across the fence in the hospital. Ultimately, we will move there and be in a better accommodation, but while we are in this temporary accommodation, we want it to be functional.”

    Mato also described as laudable, the decision of the alumni to give back to their alma mater, while admonishing others to emulate them.

    The Chairman of the Local Organising, Dr. Leeleebari Sibor, while earlier speaking on behalf of the 2005 UNIPORT Medicine final year class, said the decision to carry out renovation on a part of  the college and the replacement of some infrastructure  was  in view of their desire to contribute to the growth of the  college.

    Sibor said: “By the time we got back to the community, we got back to the society after our training, we realised that we are actually the best among all medical doctors that were trained in the nation.

    “After much pondering, we said we must go back and thank the people that made us what we are today.”

    The alumni also had free lecture with undergraduate medical students of the college, as part of the celebration.

    “We also commend him on his marching order to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for a comprehensive downward review of salaries and allowances of elected and appointed public officers.”

  • TETFund’s request

    TETFund’s request

    • The Federal Government should scrutinise its proposal before taking a decision on it

    Should the two per cent education tax levied on the assessable profit of businesses operating in Nigeria to finance the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) be increased? This question has become relevant in light of recent hints by the executive secretary of the fund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro, that such a measure may be in the works.

    According to Bogoro, the Federal Ministry of Education has sent comprehensive plans to the Presidency in which a rise in the education tax was recommended. The increase could raise the tax to anything between three per cent and four per cent of company profits, and it is apparently in response to mounting pressure on TETFund to increase the scope and depth of its intervention in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.

    In a country undergoing deep spending cuts due to revenue shortfalls stemming from steep declines in the price of crude oil, it is obvious that increased efforts must be made to maximise the generation of internal revenues. An increase in the education tax is in line with this trend, especially given the fact that it is targetted at providing vital funding for tertiary institutions which have long struggled with the challenges of decrepit infrastructure, inadequate equipment and decreased research output.

    TETFund’s past achievements in this regard are a clear demonstration of the impact of its interventions on the Nigerian tertiary education system. Federal and state-owned universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country provide incontrovertible evidence of TETFund involvement, particularly administrative buildings, laboratories, libraries, vehicles and research grants, most of which are being put to beneficial use.

    However, the proposed increase leaves far too many questions unanswered. Was corporate Nigeria consulted on the decision to raise the education tax? To what extent has TETFund’s income been properly accounted for? How well have TETFund finances been utilised by the benefitting institutions? Such questions speak to the vital necessity of ensuring that taxes of this kind are not levied for their own sake. The country is witness to the mess made of the pensions of civil servants and retired soldiers; repeated acts of misappropriation have made billionaires of a few individuals while pensioners have died without receiving their entitlements.

    Although it cannot be said with any certainty that TETFund has similarly become a cesspool of corrupt enrichment, there appear to be certain anomalies which seem to indicate that its funds may not have been put to optimum use, in spite of its extensive interventions.

    In November 2014, the then Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, announced that N7.8 billion, amounting to more than 70 per cent of the N10.052 billion in research funds domiciled in TETFund, had not been touched. If public tertiary institutions have been unable to make use of the funds currently available to them under a two per cent education tax regime, what is the guarantee that they will be able to do so if the tax rises to three per cent or four per cent?

    Then there is the issue of exactly what TETFund money is expended on, such as the N27 billion which has been spent on overseas education. It is difficult to justify such a policy when it would clearly have been better to use such funds to rehabilitate indigenous institutions and thereby expand their capacity to train students locally.

    TETFund and the benefitting institutions need to do more to ensure that they make full use of what is currently available before demanding more. TETFund must redouble its efforts to publicise the availability of infrastructural development and research funds; the tertiary institutions must retool their systems, procedures and processes to enable them to better utilise the fund’s services.

  • Govt to hike TETfund’s 2% education tax

    Govt to hike TETfund’s 2% education tax

    There are indications that the Federal Government may have started the process of doubling the two per cent education tax with which it supports the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund).

    TETfund Executive Secretary Prof Suleiman Bogoro, who disclosed this, said the Federal Ministry of Education had already sent a comprehensive report to the Presidency. It recommended an increase in the tax from two per cent to between three and four per cent.

    He spoke in Abuja at an event organised by the Fund tagged: “Institutionalisation of Research and development in tertiary institutions as a launch pad for Nigeria’s technological advancement.”

    Bogoro, who said as soon as the Presidency reviews the proposal for the increase in the tax and the National Assembly amends the TETfund Act to accommodate the increase, the fund would play its supportive role as expected.

    Said Bogoro: “In a recent report by the Ministry of Education to the Federal Government, the case was made for the  increase of the 2 per cent education tax collection by Federal Inland Revenue to  raise it to three or four per cent.

    “We are supportive of it and we believe that with what we have done and if you notice now, some five years ago there was no African university ranked among the top 100 in Africa, that was embarrassing enough.

    “Definitely the process will begin as soon as government gives the go ahead. There is a proposal to Mr. President, government will review and see the benefits and demerits and when government decides they should formally take it up.

    “For us at TETFund, it may just be that government has taken a decision and we are supposed to ensure that it is facilitated and whatever contribution we need to make to add to an Executive bill emanating that would raise the collection from two to four percent.

    That would mean a lot for us; definitely you cannot change TETFund Act without legislation, it requires the National Assembly.”

    He noted that the interventions by the fund in research and development have led to improved performance of Nigerian institutions, some of which according to him, has also impacted on their ranking in Africa.

    His words:”Today because of aggressive intervention and concentration of government attention on our public tertiary institutions and with massive support of TETFund we now have 28 Nigerian universities ranked among the top 100 in Africa.

    “We are not feeling good that we are still outside the 2000 mark for the world. Out of the 1000 global universities there are only five African universities, three from South Africa and two from Egypt.

    “Nigeria is yet to be there. We remain quite embarrassed but you better imagine if we increase the intervention and there is patriotic application of the funds in the priority areas, the ranking of our universities will begin to compete with the very best in the world,” Bogoro concluded.

  • Provost lauds Fed Govt, TETFund on projects

    The Provost Federal College of Education (Technical) in Umunze, Anambra State, Prof Josephat Ogbuagu, has hailed the Federal Government and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for initiating various intervention projects towards development of education and sustaining funding of tertiary institutions.

    Ogbuagu gave the commendation in an interaction with reporters last week in his office. He said the college had benefited largely from the TETFund intervention, which he said had created an enabling environment for quality learning.

    He vowed that he would leave no stone unturned to ensure judicious use of the funds to achieve the institution’s objectives.

    According to Ogbuagu, the office of the provost and other administrative offices in the college would be relocated to the permanent site of the institution for effective management of the school.

    He promised to continue to work hard to sustain the cordial relationship between the host community and the college.

    Ogbuagu thanked Governor Willie Obiano for his efforts in education and security, reiterating the college’s readiness to partner with relevant agencies in the state to improve teaching and learning.

     

  • Abia poly to get N200m skill centre

    Abia poly to get N200m skill centre

    A N200m facility is to be built at Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, where business people can acquire skills and be certified.

    The centre will be set up by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), said its Southeast Representative Mr Chinedu Onu, a lawyer, who led a delegation from the agency to the institution.

    Onu said the project will be private sector-driven, the centre managed by a director appointed by the agency, while the teachers will be drawn from the state polytechnic.

    He said, “After carrying out a research, we discovered that most of the male folk in the southeast in business lack formal education. They enjoy doing business than going to school. You know that Aba is the centre of commerce and business activities where majority of these young boys come to exercise their technological prowess and that is why we thought it wise to partner with the Abia State Polytechnic management to establish the center here which is very close to the business community.

    “We hope that the project when completed will help the young boys doing business in Aba and its environs to get proper training on the modern way of doing business and improve their skills on how best to produce some of the things that they are producing in order to remain relevant and the aim for which TETfund wants to establish this center is to sharpen their skills and promote boy-child education through skill acquisition. It is expected that the students at the end of their training will be awarded with a certificate which will enable them have the capacity to bid for job offers and have a certification that will back their skills.

    “We hope that this venture will reverse the trend in the southeast; where boys in the region prefer doing business than going to school. It will make them think with their brain and as well, use their hands to earn a living for themselves.”

    He further used the opportunity to plead with the Abia State Government to award contracts to the institution’s graduands and to sponsor a few of them and encourage more persons to embrace the exercise and pointed out that their area of focus would be on engineering; mechantronics, building tech among others.

    In his response, the acting rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Uche Ikonne thanked the team for choosing the institution as a preferred place to site the project.

    Ikonne said that he would do everything within his power to ensure that project was sited on the institution’s campus and thanked TETfund for the numerous projects they have helped the school to build.

    The rector later took the team round the institution’s engineering, fabrication and entrepreneurial labs where the prospective students were expected to have a practical knowledge of the areas they would be trained on.