CAN THIS SAVE NIGERIA EDUCATION? NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES & POLYTECHNICS TO GET N95 BILLION INTERVENTION

Much has been said about the state of education in Nigeria and the need for a massive overhaul in quality and the amount of attention dedicated to it by the Federal Government. Perhaps, in response to this, the Federal Government of Nigeria recently earmarked aboutN95 billion for intervention in Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund. Each beneficiary university is expected to receive about N598 million, each polytechnic N339.5m and college of education, N321m. According to the Nigerian Minister for Education Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa’i: “Over the last couple of decades, the right priorities in education were not addressed. Our institutions continue to grapple with enormous expenditure outside their core mandates. “To restore the vibrancy of our institutions and to achieve the desired outcomes, we must get our priorities right and manage our institutions transparently. “The onus is now squarely on the institutions to apply the fund in core areas of their mandates. Our institutions can no longer complain that their major problem is funding. Government is doing its uttermost within available resources and we shall continue to work hard to ensure that there is value for money.” While this is a much needed cash infusion in the education sector, the hope is that there is a well documented plan for implementing and disbursing the funds in campuses across the nation.