Supervising Minister of Education, Nyeson Wike, on Thursday said the Federal Government spent N82bn in 2013 in its effort to reposition tertiary institution in the country, Punch reports.
Wike spoke at the Stakeholders’ Town Hall meeting on Tertiary Education Trust Fund Interventions for the South West Geo-political zone at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
He said the intervention fund showed that the present government under President Goodluck Jonathan had invested more in education than any past government had done.
The minister added that 179 universities, colleges of education and polytechnics had benefitted from the fund with each of the universities collecting N3bn, while other institutions received N1bn each.
He said, “Among the beneficiaries in the South-West zone are the University of Lagos; University of Ibadan; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife; The Polytechnic, Ibadan; Yaba College of Education; Federal College of Education, Abeokuta; Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo; Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro; and Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo.”
The minister said the Federal Government had also invested in research, adding that over N260m had been released to 13 beneficiaries.
“Related to all these is the support for staff development which has led to the training of thousands of lecturers in our institutions within and outside the country. This is to enable us address the challenge of the low number of lecturers with doctoral degrees,” Wike said.
At the event were institutions from the South-West, which gave their reports on the utilisation of the TETFund.
Rector of the Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Margareth Ladipo, said the institution benefited from TETFund intervention to the tune of over N2bn, adding that the impact was tremendous in the transformation of the school.
Wike later announced that UI had set aside N2bn to address accommodation problem in the school.
He stressed the need to appreciate the changing face of education in Nigeria and pointed out that the challenge was not in the availability of fund, but in its utilisation.
