TETFUND SEEKS MORE INVESTMENT IN BASIC EDUCATION
The Executive Secretary (ES), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has called for more investment in primary and secondary schools to enhance the pursuit of purposive tertiary education for society’s good.
Echono, while receiving education correspondents in his Abuja office, yesterday, noted that if Nigeria could address its educational problems, it would ultimately address unemployment, criminality, hopelessness and social vices, among others.
The TETFund boss also decried the failure of some politicians to prioritise education at the national level, but send their children abroad for schooling at a very high cost.
According to him, politicians prefer to invest in roads, markets and other infrastructures that they can use for campaigns in the next election, adding that a good governor, who invests in education, understands that the fruits of the seeds he is planting may come forward between 12 and 16 years when his two terms would have expired.
Tertiary education, despite being my primary responsibility, I would tell you, is even the second priority to basic. We must invest for every child in this country to have the opportunity to learn how to read and write.
Once you have that solid foundation, you can begin to build on it, and tertiary education is at the apex of that building,” he said.
RELATEDLY, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, has assured that his government will continue to engage TETFund in addressing critical challenges of educational institutions in the state
The governor stated this, yesterday when he visited Echono in Abuja to congratulate him on his new appointment.
Saying he was not surprised by the appointment, as Echono had done well at the Federal Ministry of Education where he retired as Permanent Secretary.
He recalled the cordial relationship between Plateau and TETFund, where the Fund carried out major interventions at the Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos; Plateau State Polytechnic (PLAPOLY), Barkin Ladi; College of Education (COE), Gindiri and federal institutions such as the University of Jos UNIJOS) and Federal College of Education (FCE), Pankshin.
According to a statement by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Government House, Dr. Makut Macham, the governor is optimistic that the new ES will carry on with the good works of his predecessor, Prof. Elias Bogoro, who did a lot to improve infrastructure in many states and federal tertiary institutions in the country, particularly in the North.
Responding, Echono said he was delighted to receive the governor of Plateau where he had his early education and working life and still considers his first home.
CREDIT: The Guardian
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