Adeleke Varsity Tasks FG On Disbursement To TETFUND

THE management of Adeleke University (AU), Ede, Osun State has made a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to ensure that private tertiary institutions in the country benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), like their public counterparts.

The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Oluwole Olayiwola Amusan who stated this at a World Press Conference held in Ede on Wednesday said private tertiary institutions feel cheated with the development because they were denied access to the fund unlike government owned institutions.

While noting that government should have a rethink on the disbursement, Amusan stated that the source of the fund is mainly from both private and public purses, saying the bias is morally wrong.

“It has always been a thing of concern to us and government should have a rethink on this because the source of the fund is from out taxes. It is untenable because it is a public money that needs to go round,” he said.

The vice-chancellor revealed that aside the existing 13 degree programmes in the school, it intend to introduce new Bachelor degree programmes such as Nursing, Human Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition and Dietetics.

“Education at AU is predicated on the employability of our students, hence our engagement with employers of labour through Job Fair for the graduating class. For two days, our students meet with potential employers and prospects for sustaining job placement.

“Post-graduate courses will also be mounted in various disciplines soonest through which more focus would be on quality research of international standard. This would attract scholars from home and abroad in the foreseeable future as part of our strategic plans to expand the existing academic curriculum,” he stated.

The don noted that the institution has an unparalleled generosity in the history of private institutions in the country, with its policy of subsidising school fees of all students, adding that it also granted them the latitude of paying the fees in four installments.

According to him, the sole financier of the institution, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke is currently sponsoring about one quarter of the students’ population through his non-governmental organisation, “Springtime Development Foundation”, founded in 1996.

Said he, “We are proud of our state-of-the-art Language Laboratory, the first of its kind in Nigeria and which was adjudged as the finest in West Africa by the Executive Director of Robotel Incorporation, Canada after his visit to the laboratory.

Our science laboratories are also well equipped with modern tools for innovation, creativity, effective teaching and research in the sciences.   “Overall, over 60 per cent of the teaching staff has doctorate degrees, while others are completing their doctoral degrees in and outside Nigeria.”