TETFund approves N130m to polytechnics for skills acquisition
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has approved N130 million as intervention for polytechnics in its 2023 intervention line, geared toward reinvigorating skills acquisition in polytechnics across the country.
Mallam Buhari Mika’Ilu , Director of Infrastructure of the Fund, said this at the TETFund/ National Board for Technical Education(NBTE) sensitisation workshop in Abuja on Tuesday 6 June .
The workshop was focused on the 2023 Zonal Intervention on Skills for Rectors and Directors of Skills in Beneficiary Polytechnics. Mika’Ilu said that the intervention was to consolidate the efforts of the NBTE in increasing the capacities of polytechnics to deliver on their mandate and also to support institutions to meet basic requirements for accreditation.
According to him, “Funds are allocated in line with the provision of the establishment Act and guided toward addressing critical and essential needs of the beneficiary institutions for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standards in the tertiary educational institutions.
“NBTE has been at the forefront in championing the need to have skills in the educational system in Nigeria.
“It is in response to this, that the fund has prioritized the 2023 Zonal Allocation to polytechnics to be geared toward reinvigorating skills acquisition in the polytechnics across the country.
“This is to further consolidate on the efforts of NBTE to increase the capacities of Polytechnics to deliver on their mandate.
“Therefore, the sum of N130million only allocated to each polytechnic has the main focus of procurement, installation, testing, training and commissioning of relevant training materials,’’
The director also revealed that since inception of the Zonal Intervention in 2016, the Fund had allocated N52,046,079,584.7 as zonal Intervention to enlisted polytechnics.
“In the year 2017, the fund focused the Zonal intervention on student dignity project.
“Hence, the intervention was used to upgrade and standardize all lavatory facilities or provision of new ones where necessary in academic areas of institutions, also shuttle buses (coaches) were also procured for students use among other projects.
“Most recently, the 2022 intervention was used for deployment of ICT facilities within the institutions in line with the guidelines developed by the Fund. This is essentially to increase the capacities of institutions to function effectively and deliver their programmes online” he said.
He said the intervention, a post-research activity, has created an opportunity for academic staff in Science and Technology Programmes to fabricate equipment, thus promoting skills development in the Polytechnics.
Mika’Ilu expressed optimism that the intervention would in the long run, support the institution to resuscitate skills and improve graduate employability.
The TETFund executive secretary acknowledged that graduates equipped with relevant skills and competencies were more likely to secure gainful employment and contribute meaningfully to the development of our nation, hence the need for the intervention.
Source: The Nation
