By Grace Udofia
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has disclosed that N292.66 billion intervention funds has been released to some selected public Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education across the country.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Suleiman Bogoro disclosed this on Tuesday during a Stakeholders meeting with Heads of the benefiting institutions in Abuja.
According to him, the intervention funds would be spread to higher education institutions in each of the six geo-political zones in the country.
He explained that, in the 2021 disbursement plans, TETFund is to give N906.8 million to one university each from the six geo-political zones, while N628.4 million will go to one polytechnic and one college of education from each of the six geo-political zones.
He added that the responsibility of completing the National Library Project in Abuja has been bestowed on TETFund.
“The library project represents an important national asset that should not be ignored on account of funding challenges,” he said.
Bogoro also stressed the importance of research to national development, adding that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been consistent in approving funds to see that academics churn out quality research that would address emerging challenges bedevilling the country.
He said this accounted for the setting up of the National Research Fund which has consistently increased from N3 billion to N8.5 billion in recent times.
He further challenged academicians in the country to turn around the fortunes of the country through cutting- edge research.
“Let us apply our innovative research outcome to solve the security problem, let us bring back value addition to the solid minerals that we are blessed with, it is one gold we have not explored to any significant level,” he said.
On the 2021 research grants to lecturers, Bogoro called on the nation’s academics to live up to expectations by churning out good proposals, adding that the Fund is always ready to finance such academic exercise.
“I have signed the letters of allocation for the research grants that we are issuing out, 217. This is the highest research grant ever. It has never gone beyond 200. We have 217 research grants that have recently been approved,” Bogoro added.
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