Federal and State tertiary educational institutions in the North-West geopolitical zone of the country, numbering 26 have benefitted from the ongoing Sensitization and Awareness Exercise being carried out by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
Disclosing this in a statement, the Director, Corporate Affairs and Public Relations TETFund, Ebikwo Benn, noted that the exercise which is for all the beneficiary institutions of the Fund was in line with the determination of the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa towards ensuring that all processes for the agency’s interventions are made open and known to all stakeholders.
Dr. Baffa who led his team to the states in North-West as the fourth geo-political zone to be visited told participants at the various campuses of the institutions visited that the seminar became necessary to get rid of all the encumbrances encountered in accessing intervention allocations from TETFund.
While noting that some of the encumbrances are as a result of lack of information, distorted or outright wrong information and unnecessary ambiguity created by some Desk Officers and staff of beneficiary institutions, Dr. Baffa said the seminar will now make all processes open to all stakeholders in the various academic community.
The TETFund boss who insisted that his management is committed to ensuring beneficiaries adhere strictly to the established guidelines and procedures for smooth running of the TETFund operations necessary for maximum impact, explained that the seminar was not only to clear grey areas through a detailed presentation of all the requirements for each of the Intervention Lines but also to enhance a more cordial and effective collaboration between the beneficiaries and Management of the Fund.
Benn noted that it was observed during the sensitization workhsop that many of the staff of the institution have very little knowledge of the available opportunities for them, especially with regards to accessing the Academic Staff Training and Development Intervention line, Education Support Services (ESS) as well as Institutional Based Research (IBR).
He said; “Apparently satisfied by the outcome of the seminar, some of the participants called for more of seminars, adding that TETFund should continue to conduct the exercise annually so that staff of beneficiary institutions would be kept abreast of any development or updates in the guidelines”.
Speaking during the seminar at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Prof. Kabir Bala who represented the Vice Chancellor, thanked the Management of TETFund for what he described as timely seminar in the school, saying it would save the Management of the university a lot of stress in bringing up proposals for infrastructural projects as well as guiding would-be TETFund Scholars to be able to meet up with the necessary requirements.
He assured that henceforth, with the barrage of information provided, the Institution Management would leave no stone unturned by ensuring that strategic plans are well outlined in readiness to access allocations timely.
In Kadun State, the institutions where the seminar held were, Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Kaduna State Polytechnic, Kaduna, Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zaria.
For Katsina State, the TETFund team held the seminar at the Federal University, Dutsinma, Isa Kaita College of Education, Dutsinma, Umaru Musa Yaradua University, Katsina, Federal College of Education, Katsina, and Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina.
Also for Kano State, the institutions that benefitted from the seminar were The Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Bayero University (BUK), Kano State University of Science & Tech (KUST), Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi, Kano, Federal College of Education and Sa’ adatu Rimi College Of Education, Kumbotso, Kano.
The team visited Jigawa State were the seminar was taken to Jigawa State College of Education, Gumel, Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa, Jigawa State Polytechnic, Dutse, and Federal University, Dutse.
It was similar story for Kebbi State where the TETFund team visited Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Federal Polytechnic Birnin Kebbi, College Of Education Audu Argungun, and Kebbi State Science & Technology, Aleiru, for the Sensitization and Awareness Exercise.
He further stated that the exercise which has already taken place in the North-Central, South-West, South-South geo-political zones before now, will be concluded with visits to the North-East and South-East geo-political zones of the country within the month of October, 2017.
