The Chairman, Committee of Federal Polytechnic Rectors (COFER), Dr. Margaret Kudirat Ladipo has charged staff of the polytechnic sector to embrace the window of opportunities offered by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) to grow their institutions to international standard.
Ladipo, who is also the Rector, Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) expressed this recently at a sensitisation and training session by officials of TETfund for staff of Yabatech, saying that the dream of the polytechnic sector to wriggle out of the back bench to the centre stage could only be realised when they become innovative sufficiently to change their situations.
“Innovation is at the centre of every development. It is the only way to move the country forward. Coincidentally, TETfund is synonymous with educational development in Nigeria, so we must resolve to take the bull by the horns by accessing funds lying fallow awaiting institutions to access them for fabrication, book publishing and research.
“The Executive Secretary of TETfund is interested in assisting every institution to access the funds; this training opportunity is a proof to that. It makes a lot of sense if we step up efforts to learn the rudiments and overcome the hindrances preventing our members from accessing the funds,“ she said.
Ladipo charged the staff of Yabatech to warm up to the opportunities offered by the enlightenment programme to enable them attract sponsorship, grant and training for the personal and communal development and for the expansion of access to technological education through more carrying capacity for the College.
The Executive Secretary, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa said the training was an extension of the Access Clinic and Project Proposal Defence organised for some institution as part of efforts to discuss, diagnose and remedy encumbrances impeding access to intervention funds.
“In the course of the exercise, it was observed that most of the institutions were not conversant with our guidelines or aware of some of the fund’s intervention lines, thereby leading to poor access or misunderstanding in certain instances.
Baffa, who was represented by the Director in the Executive Secretary’s Office, Barrister Ifiok Ukim said the fund’s intervention was in four phases – essential physical infrastructure for teaching and learning; instructional materials and equipment, research and publication and academic staff training and development and any other need which the Board of Trustees accesses to be critical to for the improvement of an institution.
He charged the beneficiaries to make use of the opportunities provided through the training for personal and institutional development.