TETFund disburses N75.2m research grant to varsities, others

THE Tertiary Education Trust Fund says it has disbursed N75,206,387.13 as research grant to 15 public tertiary institutions across the country to support 135 quality research proposals.

The disbursement is for Institution-Based Research (IBR) from 2011 to 2016, according to the Monthly Digest of TETFund recently launched by the executive secretary of the agency, Dr Abdullahi Baffa.

Institution-Based Research is a small grant to the maximum of N2 million given to support academic staff with quality research proposal to conduct research and publish the outcome of the research activity.

The publication, however, indicated that university and polytechnic lecturers were the least to draw from the research grant as of July, 2017.

According to the August edition of the Monthly Digest, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Ladoke Akintola University, Oyo State; Abubakar Tafawa University, Bauchi, and Federal University, Oye-Ekiti were the universities with 31 research proposals that got N25,004,523.88 of the N75 million.

Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State, and Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, were also the only polytechnics on the list of beneficiaries with 22 research proposals, taking N10,429,824.00 of the total grant, while nine colleges of education with 82 research proposals took N39,732,039.00.

Among the colleges of education were the Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya; Federal College of Education, Osiele, Ogun State; Federal College Education (Technical) Potiskum; Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State and Federal College of Education, Katsina.

Others were FCT College of Education, Zuba; College of Education, Gindiri, Plateau State; College of Education, Ikwo, Ebonyi State; and Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State.

This has confirmed consistent complaints by TETFund that 90 per cent of lecturers’ research proposals were very poor and could not be funded.

Dr Baffa, said the Monthly Digest was to promote transparency and report intervention activities of the fund, and would be used to report facts, figures on project approvals, research grants and other funds disbursed.

Baffa emphasised that the bulletin would raise the transparency level in the management of the agency.

“We felt approvals should not be between the funds and the institutions alone but also the members of the public. The publication will also inform taxpayers on what their taxes deducted for education is used for,” Baffa said.