TETFUND: FG’s MoUs with Foreign Varsities will Boost Nigerian universities’ Global Rating

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Prof Suleiman Bogoro, has said that the federal government agencies have been signing Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with foreign universities and organisations in order to catapult Nigeria’s ivory towers in global ranking.

Bogoro also called for more investment in the area of research in the country’s universities, describing the measure as the best way to actualise radical development of the nation.

He made these remarks at the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), where he delivered a lecture to mark the 12th founder’s anniversary of the institution.

Bogoro, in his lecture titled: “University As Catalyst for Regional Economic Development,” said that the TETFUND has been striving hard to make Nigeria universities gain recognition globally by signing MoUs with regards to using the platforms to catalyse regional economic development.

“As part of the new paradigm at TETFUND, we are committed to the internationalisation of our tertiary institutions especially our universities. We are conversant with the ranking indices, metrics and parameters of universities globally.

“We are equally aware of the present status and positions of our universities on the parametric tables of global ranking of universities. TETFUND under my leadership is committed to ensure improvement and we are indeed changing the narratives in our universities.

“A case study is the new ranking status of University of Lagos and University of Ibadan globally. The improvement has been linked to the new R&D driving vigour of TETFUND and ongoing innovative bold actions especially the prioritisation of content development that are disrupting the ugly status quo.”

Bogoro also advised the university administrators to place high premium on research, saying no country can develop or make headway in innovation without adequate investment and exploration in research.

He said: “Endowment, research foundations are the DNA of ivory towers over time. But sadly in our country, we are treating universities as if they are political enclaves, rather than enclaves or platform for deepening knowledge, creating knowledge and innovation, which is beyond average; that is why universities are called the ivory towers.

“Unfortunately, we have gone in the wrong direction for quite a while. Sometimes, you see square pegs not being placed in square holes, even within the university system and these are areas that bother us.

“If you do not have somebody that believes, promote, encourages and support problems solving research presiding over the university, then that university is destroyed. I just hope we are able to change this for our nation to grow.”

Speaking further, the executive secretary said that the agency in May 2020, secured a 25 per cent tuitions discount for Nigerian sponsored TETFUNDs’ scholars to undergo PhD degrees at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Mayland USA.

“This historic MoU was signed at the peak of first wave of COVID-19. The MoU was significant because both the World Education Service (WES) and Test of English Language requirements for TETFUND scholars studying at MSU under this agreement were waived,” he said.