Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, has announced during a one-day workshop in Abuja that N1 billion has been allocated for hostel construction in 12 institutions as part of the fund’s 2024 intervention cycle.
Echono revealed that the selected institutions, which include six universities, three polytechnics, and three colleges of education, span across the six geopolitical zones.
He said the money would be used as an equity contribution in partnership with private developers to construct hostels at the selected institutions.
“I am pleased to inform you that the Africa Plus Partners, in partnership with Akwa Ibom State University, will launch the construction of a 1,600-capacity student hostel through the support of TETFund on May 15,” he said.
Echono said the fund was investigating some age-old problems facing many institutions, including student accommodation.
The executive secretary noted that the government had tried to build student hostels nationwide over the years in the face of scarce resources.
He said the government appeared overstretched and unable to meet the ever-increasing number of students enrolling in the various institutions annually.
Echono added that the repositioning of the teaching profession and the teaching practice interventions that the fund had consistently made available to supervisors were another area of concern for the fund.
He disclosed that the fund recently received a communication from the Federal Ministry of Education regarding the presidential directive to TETFund to support teaching practice.
According to him, the communication also contained the recommendations of the National Salary, Incomes and Wages Commission regarding the teaching practice allowances.
He further stressed the need to rework the current teaching practice funding template in accordance with the communication.