TETFund, Institutions Heads Brainstorm On Funding, Infrastructure, Digital Transformation

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has brought together heads of beneficiary institutions, chairmen of governing councils and bursars of tertiary institutions to deliberate on sustainable funding, infrastructure development, digital transformation and improved management of intervention projects in Nigeria’s higher education sector.

The discussions formed part of a two-day strategic engagement organised by the Fund to review its intervention programmes, assess project implementation and develop a framework for the 2027 disbursement guidelines.

Speaking at the meeting, TETFund Executive Secretary, Arch Sonny Echono, said the annual engagement provided an opportunity for stakeholders to review existing interventions, identify challenges and agree on priorities for the following year.

He said that the meeting, usually held between October and November, enabled the Fund to obtain feedback from beneficiary institutions before finalising its disbursement framework.

“Normally, this engagement precedes the completion of our project cycle. It is an opportunity to emphasise the areas we want to introduce, the programmes and interventions we intend to retain, those that are no longer priorities or are not working effectively, and how they can be improved, modified or discontinued,” he said.

Echono said this year’s engagement was particularly important because of changing economic realities, the transition from the national tax framework to the development levy regime and the anticipated effects of the election cycle on government activities and funding.

He also identified disagreements between governing councils and principal officers, particularly over procurement processes and the implementation of TETFund-funded projects, as issues requiring urgent attention.

According to him, bringing institutional administrators together would promote understanding of their respective responsibilities and minimise conflicts capable of delaying project execution.

On digital transformation, the Executive Secretary expressed concern over the slow adoption of digital learning platforms provided by TETFund, despite the significant resources invested in making them accessible to lecturers, researchers and students.

He urged institutions to embrace technology-driven teaching and learning, stressing that digital transformation was no longer optional in modern higher education.

“By now, we expect that over 60 per cent of your teaching staff should be competent in the use of modern modes of delivery. We should embrace technology and not fear it,” he said.

He noted that digital platforms would enable institutions to adopt hybrid learning models, combining physical classroom teaching with online lectures and electronic academic resources.

According to him, students should be able to access recorded lectures, reading materials, videos and other educational resources at their convenience, irrespective of their physical location.

Addressing concerns about artificial intelligence and academic dishonesty, Echono urged university administrators to develop appropriate policies and internal controls to prevent abuse while maximising the benefits of emerging technologies.

“The challenge of the 21st century is how you re-engineer your internal systems and controls to be able to manage this technology, mitigate the moral hazards and also employ its advantages,” he said.

He further disclosed that TETFund was working towards the complete digitalisation of its intervention processes, including applications, submissions, reporting and other administrative procedures.

The Executive Secretary said the Fund had also provided access to extensive digital academic resources, including more than 400 libraries and thousands of electronic books, journals and research materials.

He urged institutional managers to ensure that lecturers and students made effective use of the facilities, warning that failure to utilise the platforms amounted to a waste of public resources.

“We have a lot of public funds that have been expended to provide these services, but also to maintain them. There are licensing fees for many of these platforms.

“If we have them and do not use them, it becomes a waste of our national resources,” he said.

On campus security, Echono said institutions must prioritise the protection of students and staff, noting that a safe learning environment was essential to effective teaching, research and academic development.

He linked campus security to student accommodation, explaining that TETFund had intensified efforts to support hostel development through direct construction and public-private partnerships.

He observed that fewer than 50 per cent of students in many institutions lived on campus, exposing a significant number to security risks associated with travelling between their residences and campuses.

He, therefore, urged institutions to develop accommodation solutions that reflected their peculiar needs and geographical circumstances.

On sustainable financing, Echono said increasing pressure on public resources, inflation and rising construction costs had made private-sector participation necessary in delivering infrastructure and essential services.

“The private sector are not charity organisations. They exist to make profit. Therefore, we have to identify programmes and projects that are bankable and can attract private finance,” he said.

He disclosed that TETFund had developed a framework for institutions interested in building student hostels through public-private partnerships, under which institutions would provide land while private investors would undertake construction and management, while expressing concern that the response from some beneficiary institutions had not been encouraging, urging vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and governing councils to take advantage of the initiative.

He also encouraged universities to explore commercial agriculture through partnerships with private investors, warning that leaving large institutional lands undeveloped could expose them to encroachment.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Angela Ajala, appreciated TETFund for its sustained support, describing the intervention as critical to the development of the institutions.

She said the Fund’s contributions had supported laboratories, lecture halls, research and staff development, adding that many colleges would have struggled to achieve their accreditation and institutional development targets without the intervention.

Ajala stressed the importance of teacher education, warning that the failure to produce adequately trained teachers would have serious consequences for the country’s future.

“Without teachers, no society can survive. Every one of us sitting here has passed through the hands of a teacher. If our children and grandchildren do not receive quality teacher education, we risk producing adults who are inadequately prepared for the future,” she said.

She also proposed stronger collaboration between the NCCE and TETFund on data management, disclosing that the Commission had commenced training data officers from colleges across the country on its web-based data system.

According to her, the platform would capture information on student enrolment, staff strength, facilities and academic programmes to support evidence-based decisions on resource allocation, urging institutional administrators to ensure proper utilisation of intervention funds and complete ongoing projects.

“Spend the funds allocated to you, complete the projects you have started and account for every naira as though your next allocation depends on it, because it does,” she said.

Mallam Lawal Mohammed Faruk, Director of Research, Innovation and Information Technology at the National Universities Commission (NUC), who represented the Executive Secretary, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, acknowledged TETFund’s contributions to university development across the country.

He said the Fund remained an important partner in strengthening the university system through its various interventions.

Faruk, however, emphasised the need for university administrators to provide safe learning environments and adequate accommodation for students.

He also called for the judicious utilisation of intervention funds, stressing that resources allocated to institutions must translate into tangible improvements in teaching, learning, research and infrastructure.