According to Professor Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education, the administration of President Bola Tinubu is interested in a predictable academic schedule for the nation’s postsecondary institutions.In order to ensure the protection of kids and instructors across the nation, he also disclosed that the Federal Government is examining the security architecture for schools.
Mamman gave a speech in Abuja during a celebration honouring the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU)’s 60th birthday. He pointed out that as part of its commitment to the welfare of the academic community, the government raised the wages of employees in tertiary institutions.
As the intellectual centre of the nation, he pushed colleges to forge appropriate partnerships with the industry sector in order to transform the import-dependent nation into a manufacturing and industrial hub.The minister also tasked the committee with ranking Nigerian colleges with other international universities that employ science and technology to address issues. He claimed that university research was the cornerstone of most nations’ industrialization.
“Ensure that Nigeria is included in the group of countries that use science and technology to address issues with electricity (energy), youth unemployment, engineering and allied sciences, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and other health sciences, as well as agriculture and agro-allied products. He remarked, “Your laboratories and scientists should be fully occupied utilising the nation’s natural resources along these lines and many more.
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“Additionally, he stated that steps had been taken to use the government-provided PPP window to power the universities utilising gas-powered facilities.“The scheme is intended to start with 18 universities in the first instance, adding that shortlisted universities will be contacted at the appropriate stage of the project. “The centrality of the power to service delivery, research and cost savings cannot be overemphasized. “A committee was established to give a roadmap to guide policy, provide implementation plans, deliverables, and key performance indicators as a result of the realization of the importance of the education sector.
“And the timeline was put in place, and the report of the committee is expected to be submitted this month,” he added.The government is interested in having a stable academic calendar so that adequate learning, research, collaboration, and student exchange may occur, the education minister remarked.
Professor Yakubu Ochefu, the secretary-general of the CVCNU, also spoke at the ceremony. He provided a brief history of the committee dating back to its founding in 1962 and mentioned that the University of Ibadan had consistently had the most vice chancellors of any university during that time.
He said: “We have made a lot of improvement in the university system, there is room for more improvement and we believe that now that we have opened our doors, our stakeholders can look at us and say this is how we can support the system.
“The university system is open to investment from parties other than the federal government, states, and the private sector. Because education benefits the entire ecosystem, it is about all of us. How do former students help their alma mater? These are a few of the supports that we are discussing, he said.