The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, made this known in an opening remark at a one-day sensitization seminar held in Osogbo, at the Main Campus of Osun State University on Monday, 21st August, 2017. Dr. Baffa, who was represented by the Deputy Director of TETFund's Centre for Project Development, Mrs Dorothy Okeke, maintained that the new intervention lines would aid sustainability of TETFund-sponsored projects on campuses, assist in the upgrade of institutions' websites and improvement of staff's ICT skills.
The Executive Secretary in his remarks informed the Uniosun management team that "We have introduced two new intervention lines, Project Maintenance and ICT Support Interventions. The Project Maintenance Support is to enable the institutions completely renovate dilapidated buildings which have become an eyesore on the campuses while the ICT Support Intervention is for the website upgrade of institutions and for ICT training for both Teaching and Non-Teaching staff to enable them become computer proficient in the ICT world that we now live in."
He noted that TETFund has made appreciable progress in the area of academic staff training and development. He said, "As at May 2017, a total of 17,482 have been sponsored by TETFund for Masters and Ph.D courses in top ranked universities both in Nigeria and overseas. For its conference attendance intervention programme, a total of 42,120 academic and non-academic staff have been sponsored to various conferences both within and outside the country within the same period. The Fund has also financed 28,517 teaching practice supervisions in order to boost teaching practice and enhance teacher development in the country."
Dr. Baffa also revealed plan and new intervention policy that will accommodate people with special needs, urging all beneficiary institutions to take advantage of the new policy in their subsequent requests.
According to him "the 62nd National Council on Education (NCE) meeting which was held in Kano from 24th to 28th July 2017 resolved that as part of efforts to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)NO. 4 under the Education 2030 agenda, public tertiary institutions should include courses on inclusive education as part of their staff development for TETfund intervention”.
"In this regard, our beneficiary institutions are therefore urged to factor this decision in their proposals for our AST&D and Conference Attendance intervention programmes for our consideration. The aim of this policy is to remove the barriers that prevent students particularly those with physical and learning disabilities from participating fully in education. It would also ensure that lecturers receive the right training for handling students with special needs who are vulnerable to marginalization and exclusion from education," he stated.
The sensitization team led by Mrs. Dorothy Okeke, in five different presentations by various departments and units of TETFund, also reeled out modalities, guidelines and necessary requirements for accessing intervention funds in all approved areas of tertiary education development.
In his welcome remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Labode Popoola thanked the team for making out time to sensitize the University on how to easily access intervention funds. He said: "It is needless to say that the Federal Government is trying its best in the funding of tertiary education through TETFund. On behalf of Council, Management, Staff and students of Osun State University, I wish to welcome all members of this sensitisation team and thank you for your commitment to the development of our institution. We are happy and hopeful that this sensitisation will assist the University to access the intervention funds much more easily than before."