10th Assembly To Review TETFUND Act

By Oduyemi Odumade

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu says plans are underway by the 10th Assembly to review the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, Act to include Monotechnics as beneficiaries of the Fund.

At the unveiling of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Education in Abuja, Mr. Kalu who emphasized the urgent need to prioritize polytechnic education stated that without adequate investment in education, no country can achieve significant economic growth.

Mr. Kalu while highlighting the crucial role education plays in enhancing the productive capacity of citizens and contributing to national development emphasized that investment in education is a pivotal element of every strategic government agenda.

The Deputy Speaker also stressed the importance of designing periodic programs to empower institutions, provide necessary skills for manpower development, and add value to the labor force in both the private and public sectors.

Referring to statistics from the International Labour Organization (ILO), Kalu expressed concern about the high unemployment rate among young people in Nigeria, estimated at around 75 million.

He noted that this not only represents a vast pool of untapped talent and human capital but also contributes significantly to social unrest and individual despair.

Kalu also pointed out the critical shortage of skilled manpower in various sectors, including education, which has resulted in a significant brain drain to Western countries.

The Chairman of the committee, Gboyega Isiaka
attributed the declining growth in the education employment sector to underfunding.

He advocated for a major financial shift in federal polytechnics across the country and emphasized the need for adequate oversight by the committee.

Isiaka assured that the committee would fulfill its constitutional mandate to enable the productivity of students upon graduation.

Additionally the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on technical, vocational, and entrepreneurial education,
Mrs. Abiola Arogundade, unveiled the administration’s plans to establish the Nigeria Institute of Vocational Studies and upgrade the infrastructure of secondary and tertiary vocational systems.

Arogundade also mentioned the development of a national vocational teacher training curriculum and the initiation of programs aimed at rebranding and restructuring polytechnics, along with the development of sector-specific capacity development curricula.

Edited By Grace Namiji