Education
TETFund Promises to Reduce Unemployment Rate
The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono has said they would support the present administration’s measures that will improve employment of graduates in the county.
The Executive Secretary made the pledge at an Implementation Support Workshop for National Employability Benchmarking Programme in Nigerian universities on Wednesday in Abuja.
He stressed the importance of implementing the recommendations contained in a report submitted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to ultimately reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country.
“The report indicates that the aggregate average score of Nigerian benchmark institutions across the five dimensions of employability is 2.
3 out of 4.0 which is just above the average of all institutions benchmarked globally (2.2).“The report which also covers the assessment of the institutions’ Digital Learning Strategy shows that surveyed universities lagged behind global best practices in application of digital learning strategies, access to large multidisciplinary databases and digital course-reserves as well as the level of faculty digital skills.
“This obviously requires deliberate action on the part of all stakeholders to address our peculiar challenges,” he added.
Echono said that Nigeria being a developing economy is faced with the challenges of high unemployment, particularly youth unemployment which is at an all-time high in the country.
He added that an increasing number of young Nigerian graduates from tertiary education institutions are being released into the labour market with a continuously shrinking absorptive capacity.
“The structure of the economy which is largely import dependent has further limited the ability of the country to generate commensurable jobs due to low level of industrialisation, thereby aggravating the unemployment situation in Nigeria.
“Thus, aligning our intervention activities to meet our changing needs, and strengthening our education delivery towards fostering an entrepreneurship culture are some of the best ways for unleashing the enormous youth potential,” he said.
He said that strengthening entrepreneurship education and training are crucial to achieving this.
“As an intervention agency for tertiary education in Nigeria, TETFund is deliberately refocusing its intervention activities to support learning outcomes and employability of Nigerian tertiary education graduates.
“I am pleased to report that the Strategic and Operational Plan for refocusing TETFund entrepreneurship intervention for employability and innovation was approved by the Federal Ministry of Education in March 2023.
“Consequently, the requirements and guidelines for accessing entrepreneurship development intervention of the Fund were revised in line with the approved plan.
“In addition, the Fund is in the process of establishing entrepreneurship and innovation hubs in our beneficiary institutions across the six geo-political zones of the country, to link them with industry.
“This is with a view to enhance entrepreneurship development, innovation and employability in line with contemporary global best practices,” he said.
He, therefore, said that the interventions would help promote the transformation of beneficiary institutions into catalysts for knowledge creation and organising the translation of knowledge into usable products and services for addressing societal problems.
Prof. Kamil Rauf, the Director of University of Ilorin’s Computer-Based Centre, on Monday said a total number of 16,097 admission-seekers, attended the institution’s 2024 Post-UTME screening.
Rauf expressed delight over the seamless conduct of the exercise while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, attributing the huge number to adequate preparations put in place by the university management.
“The success recorded in the exercise was as a result of the material and human resources’ support given to the CBT by the management.
“During the exercise, the centre employed the use of high level technological innovation it put in place by the institution,” he said.
Rauf also noted that the quality of the infrastructure at the CBT had impacted positively on the university’s internal examinations.
He said these included departmental examinations, Institute of Education examinations, Centre for Open and Distance Learning examination (CODL), remedial examinations and Post-UTME screening.
Rauf said that University of Ilorin, was also a centre used to conduct the police and pension service promotion examinations.
“Others include, examinations for the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Nursing Council of Nigeria, and Agricultural Council of Nigeria, among others,” he said.
The Director was however silent on the number of admission-seekers the university would be giving admission to for the 2024/2025 session.
”I will get back to the media on this once the decision is taken,” he said.(NAN)
The Students’ Union of the University of Ibadan (UI) on Friday rejected the school fees increment approved by the governing council of the institution.Report says that to show their disapproval, the students staged an overnight protest from 10:20 pm to 2 a.m.The President of the union, Bolaji Aweda; Vice-President, Bolutife Aboderin, and Secretary, Daniel Elemide in a statement, rejected the new fees.
“We reject the decision made by the council. We are embarking a boycott of classes until our demands are fulfilled.“We demand a reversal of the increase. The students demand that the school fees portal should be shut down within 24 hours until our demands were met,” they said.The union leaders urged students to make use of social media platfprms to mobilise others on the #UIFEESMUSTFALL and #SAVEUITES until there demands are met.NAN reports that the governing council of the university on Thursday, approved the increment in school fees of students of the university from 100 to 400 level and also fixed deadline for payment.In a statement signed by the Registrar and secretary to the council, G.O. Saliu and available to UCJUI, the decision was reached at the inaugural meeting of the council held earlier on Thursday and it considered the new levy as recommended by the Senate of the University.Students who have not yet completed their registration, the council said, were advised to do so on or before Sept. 4.“Consequently, students who are yet to pay and complete their registration exercises are advised to do so, on or before Sept. 4, to enable departments download lists of registered students, in preparation for the First Semester Examination,” the release read in part.Additionally, the council urged students to take advantage of financial aids such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and various scholarships offered by the University and other benefactors to assist indigent students.The council also made it clear that there would be no extension of the registration deadline, as the portal will be closed after the specified date.“Council equally directed that students be encouraged to take advantage of the students’ loan fund (NELFUND) and sundry scholarships instituted by the University and other weil-meaning philanthropists, to cater for indigent students.“Above is for strict adherence as the portal will not be opened after the deadline,” the released further clarified.Report says that the deadline for the payment of school fees was initially suspended, following the July protest . (NAN)
President Bola Tinubu has approved the conversion of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, to the Federal University of Lafia Teaching Hospital, Nasarawa.In a statement on Wednesday by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, he said the approval followed a request by the Nasarawa State government.
“The conversion of the health facility to a federal teaching hospital will not only enhance the training of students in medical and allied sciences but also boost healthcare delivery in the state. “President Tinubu remains committed to ensuring the social welfare and healthcare security of Nigerians.“He will aggressively sustain his administration’s investment drive and efforts in the sector,” he said. (NAN)
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