The inauguration of three (3) Special Ad Hoc Committees by the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono in Abuja on Monday, March 11, 2024 is a clear indication that the Fund is not oblivious of the need to improve and expand Nigeria’s research and development infrastructure.
The constitution of the committees was informed by the revelation that most of the equipment in the laboratories and workshops of beneficiary institutions have become obsolete, inadequate or underutilized, following the report of a national survey funded by the Fund in 2022 to assess the availability, functionality and compatibility of all existing research facilities in relation to contemporary requirements and global best practices.
However, in a bid to raise the nation’s level of productivity and move the country to a knowledge-based economy, the Fund made full provision under the 2024 intervention for the upgrade of equipment in workshops and laboratories for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education (technical).
According to the Executive Secretary, the Fund remains committed to deepening its content-based interventions as well as facilitating the institutionalization of research and development while making concerted efforts to identify more innovative ways towards enhancing research capacities of beneficiary institutions and promote skills development for teeming youths in the country.
The inauguration of three Special Ad Hoc Committees; the Advisory Committee on Operationalization of Equipment Upgrade in Workshops and Laboratories for Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (Technical); the Ad Hoc Committee on Assessment/Review of the TETFund Centres of Excellence; and the Advisory Committee on Operationalization of Skills Development Special Intervention therefore underscores the importance the Fund attaches to strengthening its intervention activities towards the delivery of its mandate.
The Advisory Committee on the Operationalization of the upgrade of equipment in Workshops and Laboratories of the Institutions is chaired by Prof. Hayward Mafuyai Babale with the responsibility to assess the state of workshops and laboratories in target institutions including equipment and other facilities in use; determine requirements/criteria for upgrade of equipment in the workshops and Laboratories; make recommendations regarding type/category of upgrade, whether equipment repair or replacement of obsolete equipment, physical infrastructure improvement (renovation/reconstruction/rehabilitation) of existing workshops/laboratories, sustainable power supply or any other necessary facility needed; and any other recommendations that will ensure effective and efficient use of the workshops and laboratories in the institutions for maximum impact including any additional support needed.
The Committee to assess and review the performance and progress of the Centres of Excellence in Universities has Prof. Oyewale Tomori as Chairman. The Committee is expected to among other things, assess the performance of existing TETFund Centres of Excellence hosted in universities based on their given mandates and areas of specialization; identify centres adjudged to be performing well and recommend same for additional funds for sustainability and upgrade; make recommendations regarding type/category of upgrade whether physical infrastructure improvement, provision of required Laboratory equipment/equipment repair or any other necessary facility needed; identify the equipment, facilities and infrastructure needed for upgrade, taking cognizance of geographic location, surrounding environment including presence of industries, needs of the surrounding institutions and strategic areas of focus for maximum impact as well as any other recommendations that will ensure effective and efficient achievement of strategic objectives.
To further justify the Fund’s commitment to the promotion of skills development, the 3rd Advisory Committee chaired by Prof. Idris M. Bugaje, the Executive Secretary of National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) is to advise on the modalities for the operationalization of the Skills Development Special Intervention. The Committee’s terms of reference include the assessment of the present state of Skills Development Programmes in Polytechnics based on the Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Policy of Government; harvest and determine Skills Development priorities of each Polytechnic based on its area of comparative advantage; identify needs of the institutions in terms of facilities, equipment and capacity building, taking into cognizance that training programmes should not utilize more than 10% of the total amount allocated under the intervention for each Institution; determine priority areas of focus, including target participants for maximum impact towards the achievement of Project objectives for capacity building programmes; provide appropriate recommendations on strategies for partnerships and collaboration to further enhance achievement of project; and any other recommendations that will ensure achievement of the intervention objectives. It is pertinent to note that members of the above-mentioned Committees were carefully selected based on their individual capacities, expertise and commitment to nation-building and are expected to collectively bring their wealth of experience to bear on the national assignment and submit their reports within six (6) weeks.
On the other hand, TETFund is also looking at increasing interventions for tertiary institutions in Kwara State and upgrading some of the state-owned Colleges of Education to university status. Recently, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq sought for the conversion of Kwara State College of Education in Oro, Kwara State College of Education (Technical) in Lafiagi and the Kwara State College of Education in Ilorin.
The Governor who commended TETFund for its interventions in federal and state tertiary institutions across the country lamented that most state-owned colleges of education in the country face challenges of infrastructure, poor investment and lopsidedness where no-teaching staff far outnumber academic staff.
It is expected that with the way TETFund is going about face-lifting tertiary institutions in the country, Kwara State’s dream of converting the above-mentioned institutions will be actualized.
– Tersoo Adagher, a critic and public affairs analyst write from Abuja
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