Imported User:
The Senate Committee on Education yesterday urged the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) to create scholarships and students’ loan scheme for indigent students.
This call was made by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Uche Chukwumerije during an oversight function visit to the corporate headquarters of the TETfund in Abuja.
He said that the tuition fee paid by students in most public tertiary institutions in the country is oppressing indigent students.
Senator Chukwumerije who led other members of the Committee to TETfund harped on the need for the Fund to initiate other sustainable projects such as scholarship and students’ loan scheme to assist the needy students besides its intervention functions to the tertiary institutions.
While commending TETfund for its intervention role in tertiary education, the Committee chairman said that murmurs from some institutions and the public are pointers to the fact that the Fund can do more than it is doing with the resources available to it.
He said “From the murmurs of some institutions and the public it seems that the TETfund can do more than it is doing so with resources available to it. The senate Education Committee will appreciate a clearer picture of TETfund level of funds distribution to the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education”.
In his response, the Executive Secretary, TETfund, Professor Mahmood Yakubu said the amendment of the former Education Trust Fund (ETF) by the National Assembly to TETfund last year has given the fund a sharper focus and direct target in the discharge of its responsibilities.
He noted that provision of learning, teaching and research infrastructure at tertiary institutions remains the priority of the Fund even as he added that the demand for infrastructure for learning and research is enormous.
Professor Yakubu remarked that increasing number of public universities which currently stands as 73 as well as increasing number of students is a major challenge to the Fund.
