Posted by In its 2023 intervention line, the Tertiary Education Trust money, or TETFund, has granted N130,000,000 as a zonal intervention money for each polytechnic, with the goal of reviving skills acquisition in polytechnics all throughout the nation.
This information was provided by Malam Buhari Mika’Ilu, the Director of Infrastructure for the Fund, on Tuesday in Abuja at the TETFund/NBTE Sensitization Workshop on the 2023 Zonal Intervention on Skills for Rectors and Directors of Skills in Beneficiary Polytechnics.
According to Mika’Ilu, the intervention was made to complement the National Board for Technical Education’s (NBTE) efforts to strengthen polytechnics’ ability to carry out their mission.
According to him, the intervention was mostly utilized to assist colleges in fulfilling the prerequisites for accreditation.
The intervention, which was only focused on academically relevant initiatives, aims to address gaps in the fundamental areas of acquiring necessary instructional materials and equipment for teaching and learning and strengthening capacities for using the equipment purchased.
“Funds are granted in accordance with the Establishment Act’s provisions and are directed toward resolving important and essential needs of the beneficiary institutions for the maintenance and improvement of standards in tertiary educational institutions.
“NBTE has been at the forefront of promoting the requirement for skills in the Nigerian educational system.
The Fund prioritized the 2023 Zonal Allocation to Polytechnics to be aimed towards reviving skills acquisition in the Polytechnics across the country as a reaction to this.
“This is to further solidify NBTE’s efforts to strengthen Polytechnics’ ability to fulfill their purpose.
“Therefore, the sum of N130,000,000.00 only allocated to each Polytechnic has as its main focus, procurement, installation, testing, training, and commissioning of relevant training materials,” he stated.
The director further disclosed that since the Zonal Intervention program began in 2016, the Fund has given enlisted polytechnics a total of N52,046,079,584.7 in funding for the program.
“The Fund concentrated the Zonal intervention on the “Student Dignity Project” in 2017. Therefore, the intervention was utilized to upgrade and standardize all restrooms in academic areas of institutions, or to provide new ones when necessary. Additionally, shuttle buses (coaches) were also purchased for student usage, among other projects.
“Most recently, the 2022 intervention was utilized to deploy ICT infrastructure within the institutions in accordance with the standards established by the Fund. The main goal of this is to improve the ability of institutions to run efficiently and provide their programs online.
“The Fund has allocated a total of N60,290,000,000.00 for Zonal Intervention for the year 2023 to all two hundred and nineteen beneficiary institutions, of which, the sum of N9,230,000,000.00 is allocated to polytechnics,” he continued.
He said that the post-research intervention had given academic staff in science and technology programs the chance to construct equipment, fostering the development of skills in polytechnics.
Mika’Ilu was upbeat that the action will eventually help the institution revive skills and increase graduate employability.
While this was going on, Sonny Echono, executive secretary of the TETFund, gave rectors of polytechnics instructions to investigate cutting-edge ways to skill development and to produce practical solutions that would improve the standard and applicability of technical education in the institutions.
According to Echono, entrepreneurship and skill development are integral parts of a holistic process by which people in society seize chances and meet demands.
However, he asserted that developing skills helps people overcome a variety of obstacles and positions them for employment in various areas of the economy, as well as creating a more promising future for both the country and the person in the face of international competition.
Today, we acknowledge the substantial contributions made by TETFund and NBTE in fostering skill development in our beneficiary polytechnics.
“Our unrelenting dedication to expanding technical and vocational education has opened the door for innumerable success stories, empowering people and reshaping communities all over our great country.
“The goal of this sensitization workshop is to educate participants on two important topics: the first is the skills agenda and occupational areas as a magic bullet for graduates to find gainful employment, and the second is the formalization of the informal skills sector.
By emphasizing these factors, he stated, “we aim to address the critical needs for aligning our educational system with the demands of the labor market.”