When Tetfund tasked heads of beneficiary tertiary institutions on improved teaching, learning

Driven by the desire to improve the standard of tertiary education in Nigeria, the Arc. Sonny Echono-led Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has been meticulous in its attempt to identify the numerous challenges that have accumulated in the sub-sector over time. Although he never boasted of addressing all the issues at a time, his commitment and resilience has made significant impact since he assumed office.

In one of the workshops organised earlier in the year by the Fund to review policies and programmes as well as receive feedback on the implementation of its various interventions, Echono emphasised the critical need to examine all the collective mandates of improving teaching and learning across the tertiary education sub-sector.

The forum brought together all heads of institutions and other staff and Echono felt that such meeting was necessary, especially when there was a need to share concerns and enlighten one another on the need to improve in certain areas of mandates and assignments; and to think collectively on how to improve services based on the targets and high standards set by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

He said: “This workshop is conceived mainly for the purpose of brainstorming over some identified
areas of intervention that are seen to be highly beneficial not only to our institutions, but to our students who are the ultimate beneficiaries of all the interventions in the tertiary institutions. Funding educational activities requires careful consideration of different needs and expectations. Funding must also be directed at essential programmes, which align with the strategic objectives in terms of outcomes of investment in either physical or content development that the funding usually supports.

“The provision of physical facilities must be accompanied by corresponding programmes that will ensure maximum impact and benefit to the target group. As such, the Fund is constantly and critically reviewing its operations and interventions with a view to ensuring that the interventions meet the actual goals that are intended at conception.

“New programmes and intervention lines are sometimes introduced and some innovation or alterations are carried out regarding some existing ones, and where necessary non-performing ones are dropped.

“In the year 2024 disbursement cycle, the Career Services Centre was introduced to complement other programmes in tertiary institutions. The Fund considers the establishment of these centres necessary for the development of students’ careers and their employability, which is the raison d’etre for establishment of tertiary educational institutions.

“Career services centres have helped students in advanced nations to make informed decisions regarding their career paths. The centres provide information for students on trends in the job market, opportunities and requisite skills as well as linkages with the employment industries including the alumni of the institutions. They provide students with tools for self-assessment to identify their interests, strengths, weaknesses and prospects. Career centres further provide counselling, guidance and support to all students. They help organise and facilitate education programmes, workshops, seminars and other similar programmes to equip students with relevant employability skills to assist them search for jobs.

“They provide transition resources by supporting resume building, application processes and interview preparation. It is in consideration of the significant role that career centres play in the career development of students of tertiary education that the Fund took the decision to incorporate it in the 2024 disbursement guidelines.”

The workshop also featured a presentation by the Strategic Planning Department on the TETFund’s Guidelines for accessing the Career Services Centre intervention to hasten the processing time in accessing the intervention funds.

Echono noted that another area of importance to the Fund was the repositioning of the teaching profession and teaching practice intervention that the Fund had consistently made available to supervisors and the sustainability of the intervention.

According to him, teaching practice provides experiences to supervisors and student teachers “in-real” time in the teaching environment and provides an opportunity for supervisors and student-teachers to practice the art of teaching before they become real teachers.

“This helps to perfect their ability and potential in teaching. It enables supervisors and student-teachers to discover their weaknesses and strengths in the classroom and provides the opportunity to hone and improve their abilities. Teaching practice enables supervisors and student-teachers to develop a positive attitude towards the teaching profession among several other important reasons. This is why the teaching practice intervention has remained a relevant intervention area of the Fund,” Echono added.