Rector decries removal of Federal surveying school in Oyo State from TETFund scheme

The rector, Federal School of Surveying, Oyo, Dr Olayinka Nihinlola has faulted the removal of monotechnics from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) scheme, saying the action has deprived them of the necessary physical and infrastructural development.

Already, she said the exclusion of monotechnics from TETFund is affecting the school’s infrastructural development and capacity building of its staff.

“None of our staff has gone for training either with support from the FG or TETFund. We can’t even send anyone to go and learn. This is lowering the morale of our staff. Other sister institutions and colleges are benefiting but we have not benefited since 2011. We hope that this abnormality will be looked into.’

Nihinlola who spoke with reporters ahead of the school’s 20th convocation clarified that based on the laws guiding its establishment and set out functions, the school is not a monotechnic but a specialised institution.

“The functions of the school shall be to provide courses or instructions, training, and research in surveying, cartography, photography, lithography, ideography, photogrammetry, remote sensing, and other related courses. It also says that we are to produce technical, professional and other skilled personnel normally required for surveying and mapping duties. How can a school that is charged with these responsibilities be regarded as a monotechnic? We are not a monotechnic but a specialised institution. And I want the government to look into it.”

On Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS), she called on the government to get the scheme right, perfect it and do the right thing.

Pointing out that staff members of the school are public servants not civil servants, the rector called on the government to use the correct salary structure in computing workers’ salaries.

She urged the government to give priority to the disbursement of funds to the school. 

She said: “We need disburshiment to be regular in order to perform our function. One of the salient but important issues in the school is irregularities in disbursement of overhead allocation from the Federal Government as at and when due”.

The rector also called for the upgrade of the institution to a University of Surveying.