Gov. Ayo Fayose of Ekiti has commended the effective intervention of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in infrastructure development, research and staff training in federal or state universities without discrimination.
The governor made the commendation in Ado Ekiti on Monday when he received the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, in his office.
“I was shocked at various efforts of TETFund toward improving academic standard in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, which is second to none in the country.
“The activities of the agency have gone a long way in improving teaching and learning in Nigerian universities,’’ the governor said.
Fayose said that he was concerned by what happened at the primary and secondary school levels because ‘’when the foundation is strong and solid, the universities will not have problem in producing quality graduates.
He noted that infrastructure for teaching and learning at the primary and secondary school levels needed urgent attention and urged TETFund to show interest in that direction.
The governor said the fund should demand that state governors fund the secondary level of education adequately as a condition to access more funding for their state owned universities from TETFund.
The governor said that this would go a long way in promoting quality education in the country.
Fayose said he had succeeded in taking Ekiti education out of decay by making the state to excel in external examinations at the secondary education level.
“I met Ekiti State at the 35th position in 2003 in WAEC and in three years, I moved the state from that position to 18th and to seventh.
‘’In my second coming in 2014, I met Ekiti State at the 35th position again but I am happy to announce that Ekiti State is now number one in Nigeria,’’ he said.
Earlier, Baffa said the TETFund delegation was in the state to inaugurate projects sponsored by the agency in Ekiti State University.
The projects are the Academic Building, the Centre for Gender and Development Studies and the Four-In-One lecture theatre .
Baffa said he was happy to be in Ekiti State University to inaugurate the projects, adding that the institution was the first he was visiting to officially inaugurate projects since he assumed office.
He said that Ekiti State University was currently rated as one of the high performing universities in the country.
The Executive Secretary commended the University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Bandele, for prudently using TETFund resources and urged the university to sustain the standard. (NAN)