FG to promote tertiary education – Minister

The federal government has expressed commitment to invest in human and material resources to promote the standard of the Nigerian tertiary institutions in line with international best practices in education.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, stated this at the weekend at the occasion of the 9th combined convocation ceremony of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa in Nasarawa state.
The minister explained that technical and vocational education is capital and material intensive and therefore efforts were being made through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and other funding sources to upgrade the country’s institutions, especially in the area of academic and infrastructural development.
The minister, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr. Mas’ud Adamu Kazaure, said that federal government could not do it alone, hence the need for individuals and private organisations to support the efforts of the government.
He, however, charged the Governing Council and management of the Polytechnic to ensure due diligence and shun all corrupt practices in the conduct of their affairs.
Earlier, the acting Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, Abdullahi Alhassan Ahmed, appreciated the federal government and TETFund for their continuing support to take the polytechnic to its present state.
Ahmed also appealed to the federal government to intervene, especially in the area of inadequate funding, which he said, has slowed down activities in certain key areas of operations in the school.
The Rector noted that lack of perimeter fencing around the campus has also posed security challenge to the polytechnic community, especially in the area of encroachment and trespass and solicited for prompt intervention by the government and other individuals to fence the school among other challenges enumerated.
He then presented a total of 20,302, comprising 6,451 HND, 9,819 ND and 4,032 Diploma graduands for the combined 9th convocation for the 2013/2014, 2014/2015, 2015/2016, and 2016/2017 academic sessions.