The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has called on Nigerian tertiary institutions to accelerate the adoption of digital learning and maximise technology-driven educational resources provided through its interventions.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, made the appeal during a strategic meeting with heads of beneficiary institutions, chairmen of governing councils and bursars.

Echono expressed concern over the slow adoption of the Fund’s digital learning platform, TERAS, noting that institutions had yet to fully utilise its potential for teaching, learning and research.

The platform is designed to support hybrid learning, enabling students to attend lectures and access educational materials without necessarily being physically present in classrooms.

“We should embrace technology and not fear it,” Echono said, urging university administrators and governing councils to ensure lecturers and students receive adequate training to use available digital resources.

He said TETFund expects more than 60 per cent of teaching staff across beneficiary institutions to become competent in digital teaching and learning.

He also encouraged institutions to integrate emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, into their academic and administrative operations rather than viewing them solely as threats to academic integrity.

Echono disclosed that the Fund was transitioning its intervention processes online, adding that beneficiary institutions had received sufficient time and support to meet the new digital requirements.

Beyond digital transformation, the TETFund chief urged tertiary institutions to embrace public-private partnerships (PPP) to address inadequate student accommodation and bridge funding gaps.

He disclosed that fewer than 50 per cent of students currently reside within their institutions, leaving the majority dependent on privately owned accommodation outside campus.

According to him, students living off campus face potential security risks, prompting the Fund to intensify efforts to provide safer accommodation through direct hostel construction and partnerships with private investors.

“The initiative was aimed at providing safer accommodation for students, particularly those who often travel considerable distances to attend lectures, conduct research or use university facilities late into the night.

“The PPP arrangement offers institutions an opportunity to address their accommodation challenges without bearing the full financial burden of developing and managing hostel facilities,” he said.

Under the proposed arrangement, institutions would provide land, while TETFund would handle counterpart funding. Private-sector partners would be responsible for providing developers and facility managers.

“Your requirement is to make the land available on your campus. Full stop,” he said, encouraging governing councils and institutional leaders to take advantage of the arrangement.

However, Echono expressed concern about the slow response from institutions to the hostel development initiative, stressing the need to pursue the opportunity more actively.

He explained that the PPP model extends beyond student accommodation, offering institutions opportunities to attract private investment into commercial and service-oriented facilities.

Potential areas of investment include shopping malls, pharmacies, commercial farms and other facilities designed to support students, generate institutional revenue and improve campus services.

He attributed the growing importance of such partnerships to competing demands on government resources and prevailing economic difficulties, which have affected project costs and implementation.

Echono added that global economic uncertainties, inflation and increasing construction material prices continued to disrupt project planning, cost estimates and the delivery of TETFund interventions.

He explained that the Fund’s annual strategic engagement provides an opportunity for beneficiary institutions and TETFund to review intervention programmes, evaluate project performance and establish priorities for the following year.

Meanwhile, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has recognised TETFund’s contributions to the development of Nigerian universities, urging beneficiary institutions to ensure intervention funds are properly utilised.

The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, represented by the Director of Research and Innovation, Mallam Faruk Mohammed, acknowledged the Fund’s continued role in strengthening university education.

He emphasised the importance of providing students with safe learning environments and adequate accommodation, while ensuring that allocated resources are managed responsibly.

Similarly, the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Chris Piwuna, commended TETFund for its interventions, noting their positive contributions to teaching and learning across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.

Piwuna also called on policymakers to ensure education reforms are carefully evaluated and supported by adequate institutional capacity before implementation.

SOURCE:Voice of Nigeria (VON) – von.gov.ng