Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has reiterated the agency’s commitment to support quality research in Nigerian universities.
Bogoro stated this shortly after inaugurating some projects at the Plateau State University, Bokkos, on Friday.
The projects inaugurated include; the university’s Senate Building and the newly-established Faculty of Health Sciences.
Bogoro maintained that the ranking of every university depends on the quality of its manpower, hence the need for training and retraining of academic staff.
“Yes, physical infrastructure in universities is good, but in ranking, the quality of its faculties, in other words, the quality of its lecturers is most profound.“
That is what I call adequate content component of the university system; it is the life wire of every university.
“We have been supporting the universities to have quality researchers in various disciplines; We shall continue to do that so that our universities will favourably compete with their counterparts abroad,” he said.
Bogoro explained that TETFund had started supporting post-doctoral research overseas for those who have their PhDs locally.
“This idea is to enable them have overseas experience and apply it towards improving our systems at home,” he added.
He promised that TETFUND would continue to support universities to ensure well-equipped laboratories that would become reference facilities for other countries.
The executive secretary promised to regularly support the university in the areas of research and infrastructure to enable it become a citadel of knowledge that would contribute to the growth and development of the society.
Earlier, Prof. Yohanna Izam, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, said the senate building was part of the 2019 TETFund Special High Impact Intervention, while the Faculty of Health building falls under the ordinary intervention.
He thanked the fund for considering the university for the intervention, adding that projects would improve teaching and research in the institution.“
As I speak, there are 11 completed and ongoing TETFund projects in this university.
“We count ourselves lucky and we are deeply grateful to the executive secretary for approving these projects for us,” he said.
Izam promised to put the facilities to good use to promote quality education in the institution. (NAN)
