The federal government has announced plans to withdraw funding from non-performing Centres of Excellence in universities, following a report by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, made this disclosure while receiving two reports from TETFund’s ad hoc committees on the assessment and review of Centres of Excellence and skills development special intervention.
According to Mamman, the government will no longer “reward indolence” by providing funds to institutions that fail to deliver on their scholarship and research expectations. He emphasized that scholars must “rise to the occasion and deliver on their scholarship” to justify government funding.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono, concurred that funding will not be continued for centres that fail to meet expectations.
He noted that some centres have failed to provide modern facilities and laboratories, despite being established five years ago.
However, Echono acknowledged that some centres have performed exceptionally well, with innovations and achievements worthy of recognition.
The Committee on the Assessment/Review of TETFund Centres of Excellence, led by Prof. Oyewale Tomori, declined to recommend any centre for upgrade in its report.
If those centres are in the North, forget nothing will happen. They always drag the rest of us backwards.