TETFund Suspends Foreign Scholarships for Lecturers Over High Abscondment Rates
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced the suspension of its foreign scholarships for lecturers in tertiary institutions across Nigeria, starting from 1 January 2025.
The decision was conveyed in a circular dated November 25, 2024, signed by the executive secretary, Sonny Echono.
Mr. Echono attributed the move to the rising costs of training lecturers abroad and the increasing number of scholars abandoning their studies.
“In response to the excessive cost of training in foreign institutions, coupled with the high rate of abscondment of scholars, the board of trustees of the fund has approved the suspension of the foreign component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) Intervention,” the circular stated.
He explained that the suspension aims to conserve resources, ease the strain on foreign exchange, and strengthen investments in local training capacities within Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Institutions benefiting from TETFund scholarships were encouraged to focus on local training initiatives. Mr. Echono emphasised that this shift would enable more lecturers to access the scholarship programmes.
In a related update, Mr. Echono revealed in October that TETFund had allocated N10.8 billion for scholarships awarded to over 4,980 academics in Nigerian public universities for master’s, doctoral, and post-doctoral programmes between June 2023 and July 2024.
However, he disclosed that 137 lecturers had abandoned their studies to pursue opportunities abroad.
Speaking before the House of Representatives, he highlighted how some Nigerian academics use scholarships to relocate for better prospects.
