Don Calls For Review Of TETFUND Act To Benefit All Higher Institutions

The Chairman, Committee of Provosts of Colleges of Health Sciences and Technology in Nigeria, Dr. Johnson Ojo, has called for a review of the law establishing Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to accommodate all tertiary institutions in the country.

According to him, the current TETFUND Act is exclusive and not in line with what is obtainable in other parts of the world.

Ojo stated this at the conferment of honourary doctorate degree and award of excellence on some highly ranked persons by American Heritage University of Southern California in Abuja.

Ojo, who delivered a lecture on “Education financing for global equity and inclusion,” described Nigeria as one of the most defective countries in the area of giving special funds to institutions, stressing that colleges of health sciences and private universities should also be beneficiaries of TETFund interventions.

According to him, Nigeria needs an education system that acknowledges both public and private providers, including an accountability mechanism to strengthen service delivery among various stakeholders.

He said: “TETFund Act is exclusive; it is not inclusive of all tertiary institutions in the country. It is tailored towards public owned universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. But, obviously, it is exclusive of Colleges of Health Sciences and Technology. “

The reason adduced for this is that it was university lecturers that fought for TETFund.

“Both Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikwe fought for Nigeria’s independence but it is not only their children that are enjoying the freedom today. Therefore, TETFund Act should be reviewed in favour of all tertiary institutions in the country like what is obtainable in China. The money budgeted for the agency was generated by Nigerians and not only public institutions.

On fears that extending such gesture to private institutions may lead to abuse of the process, Ojo said regulatory agencies such as National Universities Commission (NUC) would serve as watchdog and check for such abuses.