FG approves workshop attendance for non-academic staff

THE Federal Government has approved workshop attendance for the non-academic staff of tertiary institutions under its staff development programme being handled by Tertiary Education Trust Fund intervention.

Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, made this known at a meeting in Abuja with the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN) led by its National President, Comrade Danladi Ali Msheliza.

Director, Corporate Affairs & Public Relations, TETFund, Mr Benn Ebikwo, in a statement on Wednesday, said the staff union also “passed a vote of confidence” on the Executive Secretary and lauded him for his innovativeness and various reforms being carried out at the intervention agency in order to ensure value for money.

Baffa, said it was regrettable that the non-teaching staff were not included in workshop attendance in the past, saying training programmes were only tailored towards academic staff.

He said this anomalies has been reviewed and the non-academic staff were now eligible to attend workshops for five days for a start, saying this was in line with the determination of the current administration to take staff capacity seriously stated that non-teaching staff of beneficiary institutions who hitherto were not involved in workshop attendance are now eligible to attend workshops for five days for a start.

Reacting to the request by the union for inclusion of non-teaching staff in the Academic Staff Training and Development Programme, the Executive Secretary stated that the Fund has been receiving such requests and the matter may be tabled at the next Strategic Planning Workshop and perhaps a policy on the issue made.

Earlier, the National President of the Union, Comrade Danladi Ali Msheliza, who led members of his executive committee to pay courtesy visit to Dr Baffa in his office in Abuja, said the vote of confidence was part of the resolution reached after the 24th National Delegates Conference of the Union, held at the College of Education, Minna, Niger State.

According to Comrade Msheliza who made a copy of the Communique available to the TETFund boss, said the Union has observed the good works the Executive Secretary has been carrying out to reposition the Fund since his assumption of office.