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*Urges Them To Operationalize TERAS Without Delay
*Trains Directors For Greater Efficiency, Accountability, Devt Impact
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) on Tuesday again handed down strong warnings to delist any institution that fails to access, utilize or retire funds in line with TETFund guidelines.
Also to be delisted are those underperforming in key academic or operational benchmarks, as TETFund noted that there is a rising unchecked expansion of programs and facilities in some institutions without due consideration for quality assurance and resource availability.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, gave the warning in Abuja while delivering welcome address at a 2-Day Strategic Workshop For Directors Of Physical Planning, Academic Planning, ICT.
According to him, the policy is not punitive but a mechanism to safeguard the integrity and effectiveness of TETFund's interventions.
He said "Furthermore, in line with the Fund's long-term sustainability strategy, we are encouraging Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in areas such as student hostels, innovation hubs and service centers.
"Institutions must begin to think beyond government funding and cultivate partnerships that promote financial autonomy and long-term sustainability of their infrastructure and academic programs.
"It is important at this point to sound a note of caution. The Fund is deeply concerned about the unchecked expansion of programs and facilities in some institutions, often without due consideration for quality assurance and resource availability. Let me reiterate institutions that fail to access, utilize or retire funds in accordance with Fund guidelines or that underperform in key academic or operational benchmarks may face delisting as TETFund beneficiaries.
"This policy is not punitive but rather a mechanism to safeguard the integrity and effectiveness of our interventions." he stated
Stressing that the workshop is a call to action, he said it is a forum for reflection, alignment and strategic repositioning.
"This workshop underscores our shared commitment to strengthening the foundations of our tertiary education system by bridging the gaps of the Fund's processes and procedures through enhanced understanding of the TETFund Intervention Guidelines."
He said its primary objective is to sensitize and build the capacities of key institutional directors, who are at the heart of planning, implementation, and monitoring of TETFund interventions.
The aim, he said, is to ensure that every institution represented at the workshop is well equipped to align more effectively with the "Fund's operational procedures for greater efficiency, accountability, and developmental impact."
Noting that the engagement is more than a routine meeting, theTETFund Boss said it is a strategic convergence designed to address recurring implementation bottlenecks, improve compliance, and enhance institutional performance.
"It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the gains from TETFund interventions are not only sustained but amplified through timely and judicious utilization of resources," he stated
Speaking on Academic Staff Training and Development (AST&D) intervention, he said "The Fund has suspended the foreign training component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS), effective January 1, 2025. This decision, though difficult, was necessitated by the rising costs of overseas training and incidences of scholar abscondment.
"However, our commitment to building local academic capacity remains strong. We will continue to support rigorous local postgraduate programs and professional development initiatives that deliver value at sustainable cost.
"Secondly, research and innovation remain central to our mandate. For 2025, we have scaled up funding to the National Research Fund (NRF). the Research and Innovation Fund, and the Triple Helix Model for research industry collaboration."
These initiatives, he said, are expected to generate practical solutions to national problems, particularly in technology, agriculture and healthcare, while fostering commercialization and cross institutional partnerships.
"We are also making tremendous progress with the rollout of the Tertiary Education, Research, Application and Services (TERAS) platform, a digital ecosystem for project management and research coordination.
"We urge all institutions to operationalize TERAS without delay, as it will soon become the default mode of interacting with the Fund. Through TERAS, we aim to eliminate paperwork, reduce delays and ensure traceable, transparent processes across all interventions.
"In the 2025 intervention cycle, emphasis is being placed on consolidation and sustainability. Project funding will focus on completion of ongoing works, infrastructure rehabilitation and strengthening of academic content.
"Notably, physical infrastructure allocations are earmarked for the renovation and completion of abandoned or stalled projects. We expect institutions to demonstrate accountability, prudence and urgency in ensuring the completion of these legacy projects." he said
Carrying out the climate setting during the workshop, the Director Strategic Planning and Department of TETFund, Arc. Erivwo Inene, noted that it has been the tradition of the Fund to engage with directors and staff towards getting feedback in developing policies and assessing the impact of the work been done.
He said that the Fund holds the strategic engagement with the desk officers very dearly.
The Director charged them to feel free to applaud the management for what they are doing well and also tell them the truth about anything they are doing wrongly.
The the strategic workshop, he said, is been organised in all the six geopolitical zones.