TETFund threatens to cut off support from non-performing institutions

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has warned that beneficiary institutions that fail to meet performance benchmarks or mismanage allocated funds risk being delisted from its support programmes.

Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, gave the warning at a one-day strategic engagement with heads of institutions, bursars, and heads of procurement of the Fund’s beneficiary institutions in Abuja on Monday.

Echono said the policy was not meant to punish, but rather to safeguard the credibility and impact of TETFund interventions.

“Let me be clear, institutions that consistently fail to access, utilise or retire funds appropriately, or that fall short of enrollment and academic performance thresholds, risk being delisted as TETFund beneficiary institutions,” the executive secretary said.

He also disclosed the intention of the Fund to ensure that its resources are directed towards institutions that are committed to high standards of governance, transparency, and accountability.

According to Echono, the strategic engagement was targeted at addressing recurring challenges in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, improve project execution, and enhance the quality of education.

A key focus, he said, was the Academic Staff Training and Development intervention.

He said due to rising costs and incidents of scholars absconding, the foreign component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff was suspended as of January 1, 2025 with emphasis now shifted to cost-effective, locally driven training.

Echono further said this year’s intervention budget prioritises consolidation, sustainability, and the completion of abandoned projects.

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“This engagement is not merely a meeting but a strategic convergence. It is designed to address recurring issues of concern, streamline project implementation and enhance the overall quality of tertiary education delivery in our nation.

“As we move forward, let us approach today’s discussions with openness, collaboration, and a shared vision to elevate our institutions and the students we serve. “Together, we can strengthen accountability, drive innovation, and ensure that the legacy of TETFund remains impactful, equitable and enduring for generations to come,” he added.

Dr. Joshua Atah, who represented the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, emphasised the importance of the meeting for evaluating the implementation and impact of Trust Fund-supported projects in higher education institutions.

The NUC also appreciated the Fund’s role in improving infrastructure, research, staff development, and academic quality, stating that without its support, public education would struggle to survive.

Ribadu acknowledged the adaptability of the Fund’s policies such as suspending international scholarships to reallocate resources more effectively.

He urged institutions to be more responsive and ensure that interventions were relevant and efficiently executed.

He encouraged judicious and timely use of funds and called for open and constructive dialogue during the engagement.

“This calls for greater responsiveness also on the part of the institutions. This responsiveness also includes the areas of the design and implementation of these interventions to ensure that they remain relevant, impactful, and aligned with the future of education in Nigeria.

“It’s also important that we judiciously utilise these resources, and not just judicious utilisation but also in a timely manner so that we don’t lose the fund,” he said.