Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has approved N130,000,000.00 as zonal intervention for each polytechnic in its 2023 intervention line, geared towards reinvigorating skills acquisition in polytechnics across the country.
This was disclosed yesterday by the director of infrastructure of the Fund, Malam Buhari Mika’Ilu at the TETFund/NBTE Sensitisation Workshop on the 2023 Zonal Intervention on Skills for Rectors and Directors of Skills in Beneficiary Polytechnics in Abuja.
Mika’Ilu said that the intervention was to consolidate the efforts of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in increasing the capacities of polytechnics to deliver on their mandate.
According to him, the intervention was mostly used to support institutions to meet basic requirements for accreditation.
He said the intervention focused purely on projects with academic relevance, thereby addressing deficiencies in core areas of acquisition of essential instructional materials and equipment for teaching and learning and building capacities for the use of the equipment procured.
‘’Funds are allocated in line with the provision of the Establishment Act and guided towards addressing critical and essential needs of the beneficiary institutions for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standards in the tertiary educational institutions.
‘’NBTE has been at the forefront in championing the need to have skills in the educational system in Nigeria.
‘’It is in response to this, that the Fund has prioritised the 2023 Zonal Allocation to polytechnics to be geared towards reinvigorating skills acquisition in the polytechnics across the country.
‘’This is to further consolidate on the efforts of NBTE to increase the capacities of Polytechnics to deliver on their mandate.
‘’Therefore, the sum of N130 million only allocated to each polytechnic has the main focus of procurement, installation, testing, training and commissioning of relevant training materials,” he said.
The director also revealed that since the inception of the Zonal Intervention in 2016, the Fund had allocated a total sum of N52,046,079,584.7 as zonal Intervention to enlisted polytechnics.
For his part, the executive secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, urged the rectors to explore innovative approaches to skills development and as well devise effective solutions that would enhance the quality and relevance of technical education in the institutions.
Echono said that skills development and entrepreneurship represented a holistic process in which individuals in society pursue opportunities and address needs through innovation.
He, however, said that acquiring skills prepares individuals for employment across all sectors of the economy and helps overcome numerous challenges.