The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has approved N130m for each polytechnic as zonal intervention in its 2023 intervention line.

The Director of Infrastructure of the Fund, Buhari Mika’Ilu, who confirmed the development at the TETFund/NBTE sensitisation workshop on the 2023 Zonal Intervention on Skills for Rectors and Directors of Skills in Beneficiary Polytechnics in Abuja on Tuesday, said the fund would be geared towards reinvigorating skills acquisition in polytechnics across the country.

Mika’Ilu said the intervention was to consolidate the efforts of the National Board for Technical Education in increasing the capacities of polytechnics to deliver on their mandate.

He said the intervention was mostly used to support institutions to meet basic requirements for accreditation, adding that the intervention focused purely 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.

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Mika’Ilu 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 the need to have skills in the educational system in Nigeria. It is in response to this 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 the efforts of NBTE in increasing the capacities of polytechnics to deliver on their mandate. Therefore, the sum of N130,000,000 only allocated to each polytechnic has the main focus of procurement, installation, testing, training and commissioning of relevant training materials.”

The director also revealed that since the inception of the zonal intervention in 2016, the fund had allocated a total sum of N52,046,079,584.7 as zonal intervention to enlisted polytechnics.

He said, ”In the year 2017, the Fund focused the zonal intervention on the “Student Dignity Project”. Hence, the intervention was used to upgrade and standardise all lavatory facilities or provision of new ones where necessary in academic areas of institutions, also shuttle buses (coaches) were also procured for students use among other projects.

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”Most recently, the 2022 intervention was used for the deployment of ICT facilities within the institutions in line with the guidelines developed by the Fund. This is essential to increase the capacities of institutions to function effectively and deliver their programmes online.

”The Fund has allocated a total of N60,290,000,000.00 for zonal intervention for the year 2023 to all the two hundred and nineteen beneficiary institutions of which, the sum of N9,230,000,000.00 is allocated to polytechnics.”

He said the intervention, a post-research activity, had created an opportunity for academic staff in Science and Technology Programmes to fabricate equipment, thus promoting skills development in the Polytechnics.

Mika’Ilu expressed optimism that the intervention would, in the long run, support the institution to resuscitate skills and improve graduate employability.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, charged rectors of polytechnics to explore innovative approaches to skills development and as well devise effective solutions that would enhance the quality and relevance of technical education in the institutions.

Echono said skills development and entrepreneurship represented a holistic process in which individuals in society pursue opportunities and address needs through innovation.

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He, however, said acquiring skills prepares individuals for employment across all sectors of the economy and helps overcome numerous challenges as well fostering a brighter future for both the nation and individuals for global competition.

”Today, we recognise the significant strides made by TETFund and NBTE in promoting skills development in our beneficiary polytechnics. Our unwavering commitment to advancing technical and vocational education has paved the way for countless success stories, empowering individuals and transforming communities across our great nation.

”The purpose of this sensitisation workshop is to discuss and enlighten participants on two key areas: One is the skills agenda and occupational areas as a panacea for gainful employment of graduates and the second is the formalisation of the informal skills sector. By focusing on these aspects, we aim to address the critical needs for aligning our educational system with the demands of the labour market,” Echono said.

 

The authorities of Kwara state Polytechnic Ilorin, Tuesday withdrawn the certificate of an HND student, AbdulRasheed Zubair Olatunji over his involvement in cultism.

The management in a statement issued by the Deputy Registrar, Mr. Olayemi Olatomi made available to journalists stated that the withdrawal of the certificate became necessary because of his involvement in cultism which is contrary to the matriculation oath he sworn to.

The statement added that mobilisation of AbdulRasheed to the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has also been put on hold.

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It reads,”The Authority of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has approved the immediate withdrawal of Higher National Diploma Certificate of AbdulRasheed Zubair Olatunji of Public Administration Department of the institution for his involvement in cultism contrary to the matriculation oath he sworn to.

“This decision was based on the report of the Polytechnic’s Students’ Disciplinary Committee.

“AbdulRasheed’s involvement in cultism is a pointer to the fact that he is not worthy in character and learning to earn the certificate of the institution.

“In view of this, mobilisation of AbdulRasheed to the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been put on hold”, the statement concluded.

Shocked at the high number of underage children that participated in the 2023 National Common Entrance Examination, held on Saturday across the country, the Federal Government has banned children below the age of 12 years from participating in the examination.

The government insisted that henceforth, children who are yet to attain the age of 12 years at the time the examination is being conducted, would not be allowed from participating in the exercise.

The government also said henceforth, the provision of birth certificates by candidates is a compulsory requirement for registration of the National Common Entrance Examination.

To this end, the government has accordingly directed the National Examination Council, NECO, the body conducting the examination, to put strict measures in place to prevent underage persons from registering.

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Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr David Andrew Adejo, gave the directive on Saturday in Abuja while monitoring the conduct of the 2023 Common Entrance Examination into the 110 federal government colleges across the federation.

A total of 72,821 candidates sat for the examination on Saturday nationwide.

Adejo noted that to get into secondary, a candidate should be at least 12 years, adding that one could be eleven plus during the examination and by September, such a person would have attained the age of 12 years.

The Permanent Secretary after monitoring the exercise at the Federal Government Girls College, Bwari, and Government Day Secondary School, Bwari, said he was unhappy to see many underage people taking the examination.

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He insisted that less than eleven years was unacceptable, disclosing that Airforce Schools, among others, do not accept candidates less than twelve years for admission into their schools.

Adejo said: “This year, I have advice for parents and I beg you, take this advice to any single home you know. We are killing our children by allowing underage children to write the Common Entrance Examination.

“I saw children that I know that are not up to 10, and three of them accepted that they are nine years old. We are doing many things; one, we are teaching the children the wrong values. Education is not about passing exams. Education is teaching, learning and character formation

“I beg the parents, let these children do the exams when they should. We don’t get value by pushing our children too far. Most of the time if a child starts too early, he or she will have problems later in life.

“Education is designed in such a way that at any particular stage in life, there are messages your brain can take and understand and be able to use. We are moving from education that is reliant on reading textbooks and passing exams.

“We are getting to a stage where education is what can you use your knowledge to do for society. You put a small child to go through all the rigours, and by the time he finishes secondary, getting to University becomes a problem. I had that experience with a friend. To date that friend did not get into a University, simply because he was put into school earlier than the age that he was supposed to be put into school.

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“Let our children get to the appropriate age before writing this exam and we are going to make sure NECO put in place appropriate checks. We didn’t want to get to where we will say bring birth certificate but that is the stage we are going to now. In registering also upload the child’s birth certificate, so that at our own end, we are able to cut some of these things,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary also noted that the efforts of the Federal Government and other stakeholders in encouraging girls’ education is yielding fruit, saying the number of girls that registered for the Common Entrance Examination this year is 38,000 far above the previous years.

Registrar of NECO, Professor Dantani Wushishi, said the conduct of the examination was generally smooth and orderly, saying from the reports gotten from across the country, the examination went on hitch-free.

While confirming that 72,821 candidates registered for the 2023 National Common Entrance Examination, Wushishi disclosed that Lagos State had the highest number of enrollment followed by FCT, while the State with the lowest registration, Kebbi, has about 115 registered candidates.

He noted that the Council would put in place a mechanism to check some of the noticeable gaps caused by an upsurge in registration a day before the examination.