From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has proposed to spend N9.2 billion on 71 polytechnics with each institution receiving N130 million.
The fund is expected to be disbursed by Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as zonal intervention for polytechnics in its 2023 intervention line. It is meant to be be used to reinvigorate skills acquisition in polytechnics across the country.
TETFund’s Director of Infrastructure, Mallam Buhari Mika’Ilu, who disclosed the development at the TETFund/NBTE sensitisation workshop on 2023 zonal intervention on skills for rectors and directors of skills in beneficiary polytechnics in Abuja, yesterday, added that the intervention was to consolidate the efforts of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in increasing capacities of polytechnics to deliver its mandate.
He explained that the intervention was basically to support institutions to meet basic requirements for accreditation, and will focus on projects with academic relevance, thereby addressing deficiencies in core areas of acquisition of essential instructional materials and equipment for teaching and learning and building capacities for the use of the equipment procured.
He said: “Funds are allocated in line with the provision of the Establishment Act and guided towards addressing critical and essential needs of the beneficiary institutions for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standards in the tertiary educational institutions.
“NBTE has been at the forefront in championing skills in the educational system in Nigeria. It’s in this response that the Fund has prioritised the 2023 zonal allocation to polytechnics to be geared towards reinvigorating skills acquisition in the polytechnics across the country.
“This is to further consolidate on the efforts of NBTE of increasing the capacities of polytechnics to deliver on their mandate. Therefore, the N130 million allocated to each polytechnic has the main focus of procurement, installation, testing, training and commissioning of relevant training materials.”