PRESIDENT TINUBU APPROVES N25B FOR UPGRADE OF FACILITIES IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY 12-06-24
By Sadiq Aminu The Federal government has expressed commitment to support research in higher institutions for economic development.
The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman stated this at the inauguration of the reconstituted TETFund National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee as well as the Technical Advisory Group.
Professor Mamman explained that researches carried out by tertiary institutions contributed to the growth of any nation and the government would ensure they were given the requisite backing in terms of funding, infrastructure, equipment and manpower.
‘The universities play a role in the development of this country by connecting with the private sector, the industry and other players to the solutions to our problems”.
The Minister urged members of the Committees to work assiduously to advance research in the country.
Also at the event, the TETFund ad hoc Committee on Equipment upgrade in workshops and laboratories submitted its report.
The Chairman of the Committee, Professor Hayward Mafuyai revealed that in some of the institutions visited, the equipment were obsolete, faulty, non-functional, had incomplete accessories or not installed while some of the workshops were dilapidated.
Professor Mafuyai recommended among others, a periodic upgrade and replacement of equipment to keep pace with technological advancements.
”There’s need to develop a comprehensive plan for the periodic upgrade and replacement of equipment and we need to add that procuring institutes will need to provide for clauses for periodic maintenance and training of the staff”.
The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Mr. Sonny Echono said President Bola Tinubu had approved 25 billion Naira for the upgrade of facilities in tertiary institutions and the report would provide the framework to kick start the project.
”The President approved that we should start with twenty-five billion to invest in the upgrade of this facilities in our tertiary institutions and we constituted a committee to go round all the schools not just to focus on this year’s intervention but to give us a roadmap. So, in their report, you will see what we need to do immediately and how its sustained”.
Africa 247 correspondent reports that the upgrade of laboratories and workshops was for universities, polytechnic and Colleges of Education, Technical.