The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in Nigeria says it is introducing a special intervention to address incessant power failures in tertiary education institutions across the country, writes Ibrahim Ramalan for the Daily Nigerian.

Chair of the TETFund board of trustees Aminu Masari disclosed this on Wednesday 12 March in Abuja, while inaugurating the steering committee for the Alternative Energy Solution Initiative in Tertiary Institutions. Masari said the initiative was part of the fund’s commitment to support government’s efforts at ensuring steady power supply in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

The board chair, a former governor of Katsina State, stressed the importance of power supply as critical to learning and research, which was lacking in most tertiary institutions. “We all know the combination of many factors to include the increase in tariff which has become unbearable for these institutions, coupled with other issues,” he said.

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced its 2025 intervention disbursements with each Nigerian university set to receive over N2.8 billion. Each Polytechnic will receive N1,994,335,731.71, while Colleges of Education will be allocated N2,178,428,260.79 each.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arch. Sonny Echono, disclosed this at a strategic workshop with heads of beneficiary institutions on the 2025 disbursement guidelines in Abuja on Thursday. Echono said: “Under this current disbursement cycle, each university will get N2,560,562,352.66 under normal allocation, with an additional N300,000,000.00 for zonal allocation, making N2,860,562,352.66 for each university.

“Each polytechnic will get N1,794,335,731.71 for normal allocation, with N200,000,000.00 for zonal allocation, amounting to N1,994,335,731.71. “Each College of Education will receive N1,978,428,260.79 for normal allocation, with N200,000,000.00 for zonal allocation, amounting to N2,178,428,260.79.”

The Federal Government, in a move to boost basic education delivery in the country, has pledged to reconstruct 195,000 classrooms across the country, including installing 28,000 toilets and 22,900 boreholes to make water available at all times.

Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made the pledge on behalf of the Federal Government on Thursday, noting that N40 billion has been approved by the president to commence work on the uncompleted National Library site to support academic and research needs.

“Between now and 2027, we are going to reconstruct 195,000 classrooms across the nation. With regards to infrastructure, between now and 2027, we will need to raise 195,000 classrooms across the nation. We will install 28, 000 toilets and 22,900 boreholes across other schools in the country.” Alausa, who spoke generally on the state of education in the country, featured at the third edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Session in Abuja.

Olatunji Alausa, Minister of Education, has urged lawmakers to halt the excessive establishment of new Universities, warning that the Federal Government is under increasing pressure to overhaul Nigeria’s education system.

Alausa made call while featuring at the ongoing Ministerial Press Briefing series organised by the Federal Ministry of Information on Thursday in Abuja. Alausa emphasised the need to strengthen existing institutions rather than focusing on the creation of new ones.

According to him, pushing for more universities without enhancing the capacity of existing ones places undue pressure on the president. “We must prioritise improving our institutions instead of constantly advocating for new universities,” he said. “The National Assembly is passing a significant number of bills almost 200 at the moment and this trend cannot continue”, he said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a whopping sum of N700 billion as 2025 budget allocation to beneficiary institutions of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono during the 2025 Strategic Planning Meeting held with heads of the institutions on Thursday in Abuja.

Speaking at the workshop, Echono said the primary focus of the engagement is the 2025 Disbursement Guidelines, adding that the session provides an opportunity for meaningful discussions, collaboration, and feedback on the 2024 disbursement cycle. He said, “I am pleased to inform you that Mr. President has approved the Year 2025 disbursement guidelines in the total sum of N700 billion.

“According to him, the 2025 disbursement allocation is structured as follows: the total Direct disbursement of (91.08%), is made up of (48.90%) as annual direct disbursement and (42.18%) as Special direct disbursement. Designated Projects account for (8.72%), while Stabilization funds are (0.20%)”.

The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has praised Nigerians living abroad for their significant contributions to the educational development of Nigerian youths through scholarship programs.

She made this statement yesterday during the launch of a scholarship disbursement program in Lafia, Nasarawa State. The initiative, spearheaded by Zumunta Association USA, aims to support undergraduate students pursuing degrees in Engineering, Medicine, and Computer Science across various Nigerian universities.

Representing the NIDCOM chairman at the event, Mr. Abiodun Akanbi, the Head of Programme Development at the commission, emphasized that supporting young Nigerian students is an act of volunteerism and giving back to society. He highlighted the importance of harnessing opportunities in education and entrepreneurship to drive sustainable development.

The Kelly Anthony Foundation has announced sponsorship for five Nigerian students to cover their first-year fees at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Edo State. The foundation belongs to Canadian-Nigerian singer, Kelly Osaretin Osifo, known as Kelly Anthony.

Expressing his excitement, Kelly said: “Benin City is my hometown and birthplace, and I want to give back to my community. I believe in the youth and want to help them build a better future.” “This means the world to me as an artist,” Kelly said. “Giving young people a chance at a better future is important. I believe in Nigeria’s youth and know they will succeed with the right support.”

To apply, send a direct message (DM) to @kellyanthonyfoundation with your details if you registered for this year’s JAMB. His team will follow up with you. Kelly Anthony was born on May 5, 1989, in Benin City, Edo State. He attended Nightygate Primary School and UNIBEN Staff School.

A sad reality on the local education system continued to take toll as an overall record of over 30 000 candidates have technically failed the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) 2024 examinations, with an overall 98% fail rate recorded by the class of 2024 painting bleak future.

Announcing results last Friday, Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education Dr Nono Kgafela-Mokoka and the Botswana Examination Council (BEC) executives were at pain to explain the poor performance. The poor performance according to experts is indicative of Botswana's poor declining state of education system as the country envisions to become a knowledge-based economy by 2036, a far-fetched dream.

Describing the saddening state of education affairs, University of Botswana (UB) academic Professor Richard Tabulawa in his book launched last year titled 'Globalisation and Education Policy Reform in Botswana', indicated that education system needs comprehensive reforms.

Ethiopia’s higher education landscape has undergone a significant transformation since the 1990s. Prior to this period, the country had only two universities – and access to higher education was extremely limited.

During this time, the rate of return on higher education in developing countries was perceived to be low, leading international funding organisations to view the expansion of higher education as a luxury rather than a necessity.

Consequently, initiatives aimed at increasing access to higher education received little support. However, this perspective shifted in the early 2000s when the global development community began to emphasise the importance of expanding higher education to foster economic growth and social development.

The majority of Africa’s students who are interested in studying at universities in the world’s top study destinations of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, prefer degree courses in health and related fields in response to a growing demand for health professionals in these destinations and emerging trends around the world.

The interest in health and related fields is followed by science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, but depends on the study destination and students’ country of origin. The study interests of students drawn from Nigeria and Ghana, which are leading African countries that send students abroad, were informed by the work opportunities in their study destinations and the rest of the world, an analysis by ApplyBoard shows.

The 2024 analysis, which included information from students of South America and Asia, was published on the ApplyBoard website, a search platform for international study programmes. The analysis of international students’ search trends in the world’s three leading destinations, offers valuable insights into what determines students’ study choices, revealing shifting policies and a changing global landscape.

A new study has found several Nigerian universities to be ‘grossly’ deficient in making their financial and administrative records accessible to the public for informed judgments. The report, titled, ‘A National Embarrassment: Reforming transparency in Nigerian universities to unlock global funding and restore credibility’, surveyed 64 federal, state, and privately run universities across the country. It has not been released online but has been widely reported on.

It rated them among the least transparent tertiary institutions globally, attributing their poor performance in world rankings to a cloak of secrecy that discourages funding from local and international organisations to boost research.

Professor Andrew Haruna, the secretary general of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, said he had read the report, but did not want to comment on the findings. Other university leaders University World News approached responded in the same way.

The President of the National Association of Private Teacher Training Institutes in Liberia (NAPTTIL), Rev. Andrew S. Fayiah, pledges to engage constructively with the Liberian government, through the Ministry of Education (MOE) and its partners, to advance private teacher training and ensure fair treatment for both public and private teachers across the country.

Delivering his inaugural address recently in Monrovia, the new leadership under Rev. Fayiah expressed gratitude to the Association's members for entrusting him and his team with the responsibility of leading for the next three years.

"On November 22, 2024, members of NAPTTIL exercised their democratic rights to elect a new leadership team. This decision marks a significant step in the institution's growth and advancement through collective efforts," he stated. Rev. Fayiah disclosed that in coming days, the new leadership under his watch will initiate meaningful engagements and dialogues within the education sector.