Make private institutions beneficiaries of TETFUND, Fountain varsity urges FG

Fountain University, Osogbo, the Osun state capital, has appealed to the Federal Government to include privately owned universities as beneficiaries of Tertiary Education Trust Funds‎ (TETFUND).

The acting Vice-Chancellor of the Fountain University, Prof. Abdullateef Usman, said this during a press conference held as part of activities for the sixth convocation ceremony of the university.‎

He explained that ‎giving infrastructural support to private universities would further enhance the quality of education in the country.

According to him, many private universities have been successful in their efforts to assist the federal government in the provision of quality education.‎

This, he said, ‎served as a supplement for the already-burdened universities owned by state and federal governments.

He said, “No private university can make bold to say that it breaks even. Also, over 70 percent of those who write Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yearly are still not admitted and this is the responsibility of the government – educating its citizens – and if the private universities are sharing this responsibility with the government, they are supposed to be enjoying something.

“The TETfund should not be a forbidden thing for the private universities. ‎Let me use this opportunity to reiterate our call for the inclusion of private universities as part of beneficiaries of TETFUND. This, we believe will go a long way to assist the universities to contribute to advancement of research and national development.”

He expressed concern over the inconsistent education policy in the country, noting that new efforts are being made to standardise the policy.

While stating that most educational policies in the country are still at their metamorphosis stage, he added,

“The country, which had once enjoyed a smooth transition from primary to Tertiary institutions, is going through a split up primary and secondary education, with some American and British curricula-wielding education institutions, which all together, posed threat to the growth of education in the country.”

Giving details about the convocation, the acting VC said the institution would be graduating 198 students from the Colleges of Management Science, Social Science and Natural and Applied Science.

He stated that the school produced 17 first class, 78 second class-upper, 84 second class-upper division students.

According to him, the graduates produced by the institution are not only industry ready but also God-fearing.

He added, “In the College of Management and Social Sciences (COMAS), there are 134 graduating students with 9 of them in First Class, 58 placed in the Second Class Upper Division, and 57 in Second Class Lower Division. 10 graduands are in third class. Out of the nine students on first class, six are in Accounting, and three in Economics.

“In the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CONAS), 64 students are graduating. This is made up of 8 First Class, 20 Second Class Upper Division, and 27 Second Class Lower Division while 9 are in Third Class.

The distribution of First Class into departments is as follows: Microbiology as well as Industrial and Environmental Chemistry has one each, Biochemistry and Nutrition 4 while Computer Science has two.”

He added that the university management has listed the Pro Chancellor of Osun State University, Mallam Yusuf Ali; and Deputy Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Zakariyau Olayiwola, as the honorees of a doctorate degree in letters and science respectively.

He stated that the two eminent Nigerians were recognised and chosen for their humanitarian contribution to the growth of education in the country.