Research: TETFund Earmarks N25bn For Labs Equipment, Workshops Upgrade In Tertiary Institutions

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc Sonny Echono, has disclosed that the Fund has earmarked N25bn for upgrading equipment in laboratories and workshops in public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.

Echono stated that this allocation is part of the 2024 intervention budget, addressing the decay in research facilities across beneficiary institutions.

He highlighted that findings have revealed the obsolescence, inadequacy, or underutilization of equipment in laboratories and workshops in these institutions.

The ES made these remarks during the inauguration of three ad-hoc committees tasked with upscaling skills development and strengthening the Fund’s intervention activities.

The Committee included: Committee on Operationalisation of Equipment Upgrade in Workshops and Laboratories for Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (technical).

The other committees are: Committee on Assessment/review of TETFund Centres of Excellence and Committee on Operationalisation of Skills Development Special Intervention.

According to him, to ensure effective implementation of the intervention, the Fund constituted an Advisory Committee chaired by Prof. Hayward Babale to advise on the operationalisation of the upgrade of equipment in Workshop and Laboratories of the institutions.

He said the committee was tasked with the reference of assessing the state of workshops and Laboratories in target institutions, including equipment and other facilities in use.

On the Committee on assessment/review of TETFund centres of excellence, Echono said the Fund under the 2024 Intervention made provision for the upgrade of the most performing centres.

“Consequently, the Fund considered it expedient to constitute an ad-hoc Committee chaired by Prof. Oyewale Tomori to assess and review the performance and progress of the Centres in the Universities in line with their specific mandate.

“The Terms of Reference for the Committee include assessing performance of the existing TETFund Centres of Excellence hosted in universities based on their given mandates and areas of specialisation, among others.

The TETFund boss also said that the Fund was committed to the promotion of skills development, hence provision was made for skills development programme in Polytechnics under the Fund’s Special Interventions.

He said consequent upon this, the Fund constituted an advisory Committee chaired by Prof. Idris Bugaje, the Executive Secretary of NBTE to advice on the modalities for the operationalisation of the Skills Development Special Intervention.