Education

Establishment of Fed. University of Technical Education will address shortage of teachers, out of school children – Barau Jibrin

Published

2 years ago

December 8, 2022

By Lateef Taiwo

The Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriations and senator representing Kano North, Barau Jibrin has expressed delight that establishment of Federal University of Education (Technical), Bichi and Federal University of Agriculture, Danbatta both in Kano state will address the dual problem of out of school children and shortage of teachers in our schools.

Barau stated this Thursday at the public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund on the Federal University of Agriculture, Danbatta, Kano state (Establishment bil), Federal University of Education (Technical), Bichi Kano state (Establishment bill) and Federal College of Agriculture, Ubiaja, Edo state (Establishment bill).

Senator Barau who sponsored the bills for establishment of the two universities in Kano state said Federal College of Education Technical Bichi, which is being upgraded to university “is very famous in chunning out teachers who are teaching in the secondary schools, but there is lack of teachers needed in our universities.
“We have many private universities being established every year. So, there is that need to have a university in our area. You know we are lagging behind in terms of education. We need a university that will train teachers that will teach in these universities. That is very important.

He said Kano is not only the centre of commerce in northern part of Nigeria, but also centre of agriculture as they have the largest farm produce market in the whole of West Africa situated in Kano.

“Since we are known for agriculture, we need a university that will train farmers (agriculturists). We are not asking for too much because the establishment of these universities is for the benefit of the entire nation.

Talking about funding, the Kano North senator was optimistic that their hard work has resulted in “non-oil revenues growing every year”.

“Now we are talking of an institution that will help develop agriculture, which is the main stay of our economy, which will increase our agricultural produce and translate into a better living standard.

On the disturbing issue of out of school children, which is mainly a northern problem, Barau said the establishment of the institutions is the best way to fight the menace.

“We are talking about training teachers. If you don’t have this kind of institution you won’t go anywhere . We are trying to fight this out of school children, which can be done by having the school and have the teachers. Teacher is the most important element to have children trained to be better citizens of the country.

Hon. Hamisu Ibrahim, Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly, who represented the Kano State Governor, Umar Ganduje, gave the assurance of Kano State Government to the Senate Committee that they provide all that is needed for the establishment of the two universities.

He expressed the gratitude of the government and people of Kano to Senator Barau Jibrin who sponsored the two bills for FUOA, Danbatta and FUE (Technical) Bichi.

The Speaker disclosed that primary and secondary schools have been made compulsory in Kano state through a law passed two years ago by the Kano State House of Assembly making it “compulsory and necessary for every child to be enrolled in school”.

Prof. Mohammed Waidale, from Audu Bako College of Agriculture, Danbatta which is being upgraded to Federal University of Agriculture Danbatta and Dr. Andrew Ojienhekele from Ambrose Alli University, Edo state both spoke in favour of the bills.

According to Dr. Andrew, there is no single College of Agriculture in the whole Edo state and the current effort is “very commendable”.

The Chairman Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Ahmed Babba Kaita was elated when there no single objection to any of the three bills, but said the committee was open to all views.

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Education

NELFUND assures students of smart system to improve loan access

Published

1 month ago

May 7, 2025

The Gleamer

Mariam Abeeb

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has assured students it was working assiduously towards building a technology driven system that would improve easy access to its loans.

This was as the FUND disclosed that no fewer than 320,000 students have thus far been paid with many more currently undergoing verification process to enable their payments.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr gave the assurances in Abuja, while addressing Polytechnics , Monotechnics and Institutes at a Stakeholders Engagement Session/ Technical Workshop on NELFUND System Automation and Loan Application Processes.

Sawyerr noted that the FUND was targeting a platform where students could access loan with confidence and without stress in a manner that was transparent and accountable.

He said: “At NELFUND our mission goes beyond giving loans. It’s about opening doors, it’s about making sure every young Nigerian who is willing to learn and grow has a real shot regardless of their background, location, or chosen path of study.

“For too long, many students, especially in technical institutions, have faced steep financial barriers; some drop out, others have never even applied. This is the gap we at NELFUND are here to close. But we know we can’t do it alone.

“This is a shared mission. It belongs to all of us, government institutions and the private sector alike. This technical workshop marks a major step forward.

“We’re not only providing financing, we’re building a technology-driven system that makes it easier for students to apply, for institutions to verify, and for funds to be disbursed with speed, fairness, and accountability.

“We’re aiming for access without stress, a platform students can use with confidence; transparency and trust so that no one is left wondering where their application stands; partnership with purpose because your feedback, your data, and your cooperation are critical to making this work. We rely on you as our institutional partners to help us bring this vision to life.”

Sawyerr who commended the institutions for providing technical expertise, practical hands-on training that fuels industries and empowers communities over the years, said besides teaching skills, they have built careers, created employers and strengthened economies.

“You know your students, you understand their struggles, your insights will help us tailor this system to reflect the realities on ground, not just assumptions on paper.

“To NBTE, we value your steady leadership in shaping and regulating technical education. Your collaboration is key as we move forward fully.”

The NELFUND boss urged the institutions to partner with the FUND to deliver a system that was not just functional or sustainable, but one that was transformative

“As we move forward fully, integrating NELFUND processes with institutional systems and standards, let us remember at the heart of all of this is a student, a young Nigerian with dreams, with ambition, and the courage to pursue them. Everything we do must serve that student.

“The only way to make it happen is by working together, listening to one another, and staying grounded in real-world challenges. I encourage you all to engage fully today share what’s working and what is not, and together let’s build something that lasts.”

NELFUND ‘s Executive Director, Operations, Mr. Iyal Mustapha, disclosed that apart from the 320,000 students who have so far been paid, more verifications are currently ongoing.

Mustapha, who explained that the failure of not having the number of registered students tally with the number of students whose application process was deemed successful was from the part of students and not NELFUND, said there was an urgent need to bridge the gap.

He also disclosed that the FUND was considering connecting directly to institution’s portal to get the data they need, and how student could apply to their institutions portal without necessarily reaching out to NELFUND.

“One other thing that we’re trying to do going forward is to send some of our IT to all the institutions so that we can see how possible it is we connect directly to your portal instead of saying please send us data. How can we connect using an API which makes it easier to get the data of any student coming to us directly from your portal and not from our portal. So we don’t need to be collecting any data again.

“At the same time, we’re thinking of seeing how is it possible that a student can apply to your portal without coming to us. So it makes it so easy for the student when they’re doing registration, when they’re doing payments, they can select either to apply for NELFUND loans and the process will go through your portal. So you have all the data without ever reaching to NELFUND. All we need is for you to give assurance these are your students and if we have that, we pay you directly. It makes it simpler and faster for all the students.”

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