Public Universities, Polytechnics Set To Share N208bn As 2019 Intervention Grant

Public Universities, Polytechnics Set To Share N208bn As 2019 Intervention Grant

 Public universities in Nigeria, including polytechnics and colleges of education, are expected to share a total of N208 billion as part of intervention grant for the year 2019 from the Federal Government.

The grant is to be disbursed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), an agency set up for such purpose.

Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, the executive secretary, TETFund, made this known at the annual meeting of TETFund beneficiary institutions on Thursday in Abuja.

Bogoro said universities would get N826, 684, 392.00, polytechnics would get the sum of N566, 701, 842.00, while colleges of education are to receive N542, 226, 346.00 each.

He said 18 institutions drawn from six geopolitical zones in the country were to receive special high impact interventions.

Bogoro also explained that the 18 institutions that were critically selected, in line with the provided guidelines, received N5 billion for the intervention.

He said that six universities would receive N3 billion each, six polytechnics N1 billion each, and N1 billion each would go to six Colleges of Education.

The TETFund boss said the Fund had ensured that the beneficiary institutions, who are recipients of the education tax, utilised them judiciously.

According to him, the agency is monitoring projects and programmes approved for them by the Board of Trustees.

“The Fund had undergone some internal restructuring and realignment for better and efficient service delivery,” he said.

Bogoro said a total of 55 colleges of education have benefited from micro teaching laboratory, construction and furnishing.

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The TETFund boss added that the sum of N19, 977, 522, 916.59 had successfully been disbursed between January and June, 2019 for physical infrastructure and library interventions.

He pointed out that the issue of stranded scholars abroad, which caused the nation and the Fund embarrassment, had been revisited promptly.

Bogoro, however, said appropriate steps had been taken by the Fund to eliminate the lapses that led to the situation.

Meanwhile, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, executive secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), has commended TETFund over its role in ensuring the development of the country, especially as it concerns physical infrastructure in tertiary institutions.

Rasheed, however, said the rising number of tertiary institutions was a challenge which had reduced interventions to the institutions.

He added that in 2019, the country had the largest number of intervention of the institution as more institutions were created.

According to him, Nigeria needs more universities, polytechnics, and Colleges of Education but TETFund also needs to be protected so that the volume of intervention could be protected.

“The rising number of institutions is a challenge. Nigeria needs more institutions of tertiary education to provide more access to quality education.

“However, TETFund is also worried that with many institutions, the value of its intervention is minimised,” he said.

Rasheed, therefore, called on administrators of the various institutions to efficiently and successfully administer the funds while also urging them to be proactive in the processing of the funds.

He also called on Chief Executives of the institutions to engage other officials in their various institutions on utilisation of the funds.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari approved N161 billion for varsities and other tertiary institutions as 2018 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention budget for 2019 intervention activities, in accordance with the provisions of TETFund Act 2011.

Each public university in Nigeria got an allocation of N785,832,700; each polytechnic got N536,703,502, and each college of education went with N510,084,900.