TETFUND Supports Over 41,600 Lecturers in Postgraduate Studies Over 13 Years

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has provided sponsorship for more than 23,938 lecturers to pursue PhD programs and 17,700 lecturers to obtain master’s degrees within the last 13 years.

Between 2011 and 2024, a total of over 18,766 lecturers were awarded funding to undertake PhD programs, while more than 14,159 received sponsorships for master’s degrees at Nigerian institutions.

In addition, 5,172 lecturers were financially supported to complete their PhD studies abroad, whereas 3,541 lecturers pursued master’s degrees in foreign institutions through TETFUND’s sponsorship.

The Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Arch. Sunday Echono, made this known while presenting the convocation lecture at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

He also disclosed that a total of 120,441 lecturers from federal and state colleges of education had benefited from the fund’s teaching practice supervision program.

Furthermore, Echono stated that 19,302 academic staff from tertiary institutions had been sponsored to participate in international conferences, while 4,516 non-academic staff also received similar sponsorships.

Additionally, 25,940 academic staff and 45,005 non-academic staff were supported to attend local conferences and workshops across different institutions in Nigeria.

The convocation lecturer emphasized that this initiative is designed to enhance the nation’s capacity, skills, and workforce development. He further mentioned that the total number of academic and non-academic staff in public tertiary institutions who have been sponsored to both local and international conferences in the past 13 years stands at 94,763.

While speaking on the topic “TETFUND and Educational Development in Nigeria: The History, Treasures and Future,” Echono highlighted that TETFUND has made significant progress through various intervention programs, including the execution of infrastructure projects across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, such as senate buildings, classrooms, and lecture theatres.

However, he stressed the importance of Nigeria increasing its investment in the education sector while also finding sustainable ways to fund educational institutions in the country.

He pointed out that the future of Nigeria’s educational advancement must be centered on strengthening tertiary education to ensure sustainable national development in the post-subsidy era. He further argued that for Nigerian higher education institutions to remain competitive, the system must transition from the current overarching philosophy to a more adaptable and diversified approach.

Echono expressed concern over the inadequate budget allocation to the education sector, warning that the available funding is insufficient to meet the required standards necessary for establishing a world-class tertiary education system in terms of both content and infrastructure.

He stated: “The budgetary allocation to the education sector in Nigeria is grossly inadequate to meet the needs and standards required to provide a world-class tertiary education system both in content and infrastructure, that is expected to provide the critical manpower needed for the country to develop.”

He further explained: “Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to the entire education subsector from 2016-2022 was a meagre N4.68 trillion and approximately 5.94% of the total budget for the period. The figure falls short of the UNESCO recommended benchmark of 15-20%.”

He provided a breakdown of the allocations, stating: “In 2016, N480.28 billion [7.9% of the total budget] was allocated to the sector, 2017, N 448.44 billion [6.1%], N651.23 billion in 2018 [7.1%], N745.53 billion in 2019 [8.4%], N686.82 billion in 2020 [6.5%], N742.52 billion in 2021 [5.6%] and the sum of N923,79 billion was allocated to the sector in 2022 representing a low 5.4% of the total annual budget. The year 2024 budget dedicated an improved, but meagre 7.9% of the total annual budget to the education sector, while Ghana and Kenya dedicated 24.37% and 21.70% of their total annual budgets respectively to the educational sector.”