TETFund has provided about N300 billion on infrastructural development in universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria between 2011 and 2016 to bridge the gap in the infrastructural development.
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) was established as an intervention agency under the TETFund ACT – Tertiary Education Trust Fund(Establishment, etc) Act, 2011; charged with the responsibility for managing, disbursing and monitoring the education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Dr Salihu Bakari, Director, Academic Staff Training, and Development of TETFUND, disclosed this on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the National Conference on Quality Education in Lagos.
The conference has as its theme: “Access to Published Works and Rights Management for Sustainable Tertiary Publishing and Global Competitiveness.’’
Bakari said that TETFund was interested in the infrastructural development of various tertiary institutions in Nigeria as well as their intellectual development.
“TETFund is bridging the gaps in all the sectors of education in Nigeria; we are committed to the development of tertiary education which is our primary duty.
“We are intervening in all the gaps and we have so far spent over N300 billion on infrastructures between 2011 and 2016 in our Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Educations.
“About N4 billion has also been invested only for academic software and development alone; so, a lot of monies are being spent and about N1 billion in manuscript development.
“Every university has about N200 million for conference attendance this year alone, so we are really making our presence known in the development of education in Nigeria,’’ he said.
Bakari said that accessing TETFund was not cumbersome only that the agency would like to be detailed about what funds it was investing in to avoid waste.
“There is nothing cumbersome in accessing our funds; they are readily available and it must be noted that it is a transfer policy which involves proper utilisation of funds.
“We are guided by rules; we have conditions so that we don’t just give out funds without proper accountability and probity.
“The guidelines are very clear and they are not Mosaic, not “eye for an eye the conditions are very simple. Lecturers only need to show proof of conferences they want to attend.
“The evidence also includes evidence of papers to be presented at those conferences which are the manuscript, which should be up to acceptable standard,’’ he said.
Bakari said that funds provided by TETFund for research and development in the tertiary institutions were only meant for research that would add value to the development of the educational system.
“If we are to pay for research, it must be a research that will improve the educational system and add value, we cannot be sinking money when in actual fact, we should be investing.
“TETFund gives N5 million for research and those who want to access the money must show evidence that they have done diligence to the research to add value.
“Research must be a published one in Q1 or Q2 journals. The money is not meant for plan to carry out how to go about writing a research, that one has its own funding.
“For good journals, we will be able to bring in required funds and the moment the requirements are fulfilled, we will provide the funds without any delay,’’ he said.