Following the allocation of N213billion for the 2017 Intervention activities, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has commenced Project Defence and Access Clinic for all public Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
Speaking during the Project Defence and Access Clinic taking place in the Boardroom of TETFund, the Executive Secretary, Dr. Abdulahi Bichi, took heads of each beneficiary institution through the Intervention lines of TETFund, pointing out what is expected for each stage of the intervention.
Alongside Directors and Heads of Department in charge of each intervention line of TETFund, Bichi explained areas of difficulties to enable the institutions access their allocations for the outstanding years and the current allocation.
TETFund’s Director, Corporate Affairs and Public Relations , Benn Ebikwo,in a statement on Tuesday, also explained that the Access Clinic was “simply an opportunity for the benefiting institutions to come with all their records concerning allocations, projects, interventions that are outstanding or that they are having difficulty in implementing and a discussion is held with the team from the institution and management of TETFund towards an agreeable outcome to solve the problem.”
The Executive Secretary advised he heads of institutions to enforce contractual terms with contractors to encourage to ensure timely completion of TETFund sponsored projects.
According to him, projects are time bound and have timelines, urging the institutions to quickly make their submissions to access the funds.
He further told the beneficiaries that since TETFund is the sole approving authority for all TETFund allocations to the institutions, it will not be in the interest of any institution to incur debt without the necessary approval for such project.
He took time to explain why some projects or proposals are sent back to the institutions, while pointing out ways the institutions can encourage academics to key into some of the interventions especially in the areas of Journals, Manuscript, Research and other non-physical project interventions.
Already, most of the institutions that have appeared on the first day last Monday have given assurance that will be accessing their funds within the next few months, pointing out that the interface between the management of TETFund and that of the institutions, afforded them the rare opportunity of speaking face to face, and sorting out grey areas in specific project implementations.
Speaking on the Access Clinic, Vice Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko in Ondo State, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said many issues were now clearer given that both teams spoke face to face and have extracted commitment for speedy implementation and execution of TETFund projects.
Prof. Ajibefun further promised the TETFund management team that he will be going back to prepare properly for all outstanding allocation and projects so as to complete them within the timeline and commence access the recent intervention for 2017 activities.
He also presented his plans for 2017 and how the university intends to spend the intervention allocation from TETFund.
The Project Defence holds for institutions to present brief backgrounds proposed projects within the general mandate of TETFund as well as indicating the relevance of the projects to the Academic Brief, Masterplan and Strategic Plan of the institutions.
Institutions are expected to justify the reason for the intended projects by showing the opportunity the project will create; the problem it will address; and its impact on the problem of teaching, learning and research in the institution.
Aside the goals and objectives of the projects, the Scope and Deliverables, Project Timelines and Estimates are to be presented and defended, so that once the projects are approved, they will be delivered within stipulated time.
Already, Abia State University, Uturu, Abia State, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Adamawa State, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Zamfara State are among the early birds at the exercise.