Christopher varsity VC urges FG to review TETFund Act, establish education bank

Vice Chancellor of Christopher University in Ogun State, Prof. Friday Ndubuisi, has urged the Federal Government to review the law that established the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFund), with a view to including private universities as beneficiaries.

Besides, it should also accelerate effort to establish education bank to grant more Nigerian youths access to quality higher education.

He made the appeal on Tuesday in Lagos when he paid a courtesy visit to the Rutam House, the corporate headquarters of The Guardian, in company of the Registrar, Aloysius Udeoke and Dean, School of Social Sciences, Dr. Nicholas Idoko.

Ndubuisi, who highlighted that the involvement of the private sector in university education has done the country more good, said that the situation would have been horrible considering the population of the country.

The VC said that the Act, which established TETFund, should be reviewed to include private universities in the interest of the Nigerian students, adding that if foreign countries could invest in Nigerian youths and offer scholarships to numerous Nigerian students, nothing stops the Federal Government from creating programmes and policies that will benefit its youths.

“If truly we are interested in developing our nation, then education is primary, and university education is paramount. We are not asking government to intervene in terms of giving us buildings; they should make this fund available for research and development, and also to advance the course of university education.

“TETFund is not government money. It is a contribution from private companies and so, asking for it, is not out of place.

“We sincerely hope that they will have a change of mind because there is a pressure on private universities in the country, not only that we generate power by ourselves; we spend hugely on infrastructural development and we pay a lot of bills for the day-to-day operations on campus.

“There is also need for establishment of Education Bank,” he stressed.

He said the mission of the university is to create a specialised institution that is committed to the pursuit of academic innovation, skill-based training and a tradition of excellence in teaching and research with private-sector participation.