TETFund faults universities over slow use of digital learning platform
- TETFund say universities dey slow to use im digital learning platform, TERAS, even with all di money wey dem spend on am.
- Im executive secretary, Sonny Echono, want more than 60 per cent of lecturers trained on di platform.
- He also raise concerns about campus security, student hostels and AI-driven cheating.
Di Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) don criticise Nigerian tertiary institutions for not making enough use of im digital learning platform, saying di slow uptake dey waste public money.
TETFund's executive secretary, Sonny Echono, talk at a two-day meeting with heads of beneficiary institutions, governing council chairmen and bursars for Abuja on Wednesday.
Di platform, wey dem call TERTiary Education, Research, Applications and Services (TERAS), dey give students and lecturers access to more than 400 digital libraries wey get thousands of academic articles, books and course materials, according to TETFund. E mean to let students follow lectures and read course materials outside di classroom.
Wetin Echono talk
Echono talk say TETFund expect more than 60 per cent of teaching staff for beneficiary institutions to sabi use di platform by now. He talk say di non-use of di platform dey waste di money wey dem spend to build am.
“We've observed slow adoption rates,” he talk, adding say institutions fit run hybrid model with online lectures and reach more students pass wetin dia physical classrooms fit hold.
He urge di institutions to embrace technology instead of fear am, and to build internal systems to manage di risk of students using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to cheat. He talk say institutions must reduce that risk while still using di benefits of new technology so dia graduates fit compete abroad.
Echono also talk say TETFund dey move all im intervention processes online, and say some older institutions still dey struggle to submit reports digitally nearly four years after di shift start. He talk say newly established institutions get some excuse, but older ones no get.
On campus safety, he talk say students and lecturers must fit work for safe environment, and say institutions suppose design security measures wey suit dia own situations.
He talk say fewer than 50 per cent of students dey live on campus, leaving many to travel for night and use libraries late. TETFund, he talk, dey build hostels directly and through public-private partnerships (PPPs), where institutions provide land and private partners build and manage di facilities. He express disappointment at di slow response to di hostel PPP plan.
He also urge universities to earn money from shopping malls, commercial farms and other campus ventures, saying government funding alone no fit cover dia needs amid inflation and rising construction costs.
Mallam Faruk, wey represent di executive secretary of di National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, talk say TETFund don keep supporting universities. He ask di institutions to provide safe accommodation for students and to use intervention funds wisely.
Wetin go happen next
Dem hold di meeting to review intervention priorities before next year's disbursement guidelines and to decide which programmes to keep, change or drop. Echono talk say di exercise go help determine programmes to retain, modify or discontinue based on dia performance and relevance.
