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From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has urged government-owned tertiary institutions in Ogun State, to focus more on researches in order to benefit from the National Research Fund of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
Oloyede, who hinted that TETFUND has been the saving grace for virtually all government owned institutions in Nigeria, observed that state owned institutions in Ogun, have not taken advantage of the competitive fund, to boost their resources.
The JAMB registrar, stated this on Monday, while presenting a paper entitled: ‘Baseline And Assessment: Improving Access, Quality And Equity In Tertiary Education in Ogun State’, at a two-day education summit, organised by the Ogun state government, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, the state capital.
According to him, TETFUND, which replaced the defunct Nigeria Education Bank, has been providing steady fund for the running of tertiary institutions in the country noting without the fund, majority of students in Nigeria would not have been able to afford tuition fees that would have been charged.
He further disclosed that between 2013 and 2015, over N1billion was disbursed as national research fund adding it was only Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) in the state, that was ranked 17th among 33 beneficiaries states in 2015.
Oloyede, who noted Ogun was among the first 10 states with the highest application for tertiary institutions, however, lamented poor teaching in public schools saying every teacher must be certificated by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) to ensure professionalism and quality teaching.
On his part, a senior lecturer at Pan African University, Dr. Doyin Salami, who spoke on ‘Funding Vs. Results: A Critical Look’, said state governments should think out of the box to fund education as population of school age children, has kept growing over the years.
He, therefore, stated that quality education would continue to be a mirage, if good facilities and qualified teachers were not put in place advising the state government to reach out to Ogun indigenes who are education experts in the Diaspora in order to tap from their wealth of experience.
Declaring the summit open, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, disclosed his administration placed premium on education saying it has not failed to apportion the sector the highest budgetary allocation of 20 per cent.
According to him, provision of qualitative education was key saying “it was when citizens are well educated, that they would not only be useful to themselves but would also contribute to the socio-economic development of the society”.
“That is why our administration has continued to invest heavily in the education sector. At the year’s budget, we have continued to allocate over 20 per cent of the total budget of the state to the education sector in pursuit of the United Nations target of 26 per cent.”
Amosun, however, admitted that government alone could not fund education, and called on old students’ associations at all levels to give back to their alma maters.
He also disclosed his administration has not failed to give N189m as monthly subvention to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, in the last six years.
The governor, then, charged the resource persons at the summit on practical deliberations with a view of chatting a way forward in the provision and delivery of qualitative and affordable education.
