TETFUND: Fewer buildings, more equipment please

During my last trip home, I visited two universities and a polytechnic, and I was struck by the proliferation of huge buildings on the campuses, almost all of them sponsored by TETFUND. TETFUND stands for Tertiary Institutions Trust Fund. It is an interventionist agency of the federal government that collects 2.5% of profits after tax […]

During my last trip home, I visited two universities and a polytechnic, and I was struck by the proliferation of huge buildings on the campuses, almost all of them sponsored by TETFUND. TETFUND stands for Tertiary Institutions Trust Fund. It is an interventionist agency of the federal government that collects 2.5% of profits after tax from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and supports federal and state government-owned tertiary institutions in the areas of infrastructure, training and research. A brainchild of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), it is one of the best things that have happened to our tertiary institutions. More than ever before, Nigerians are sponsored for post-graduate studies and conferences abroad through the TETFUND. However, it should focus less on erecting big buildings and more on procurement of scientific equipment to upgrade our laboratories and workshops.
My experience here in India shows that our universities are lagging behind in the all-important areas of lab equipment and funding of research. Each time I make a presentation here, I get plaudits and get asked if I am a teacher in my country, but the problem will begin if you ask me to demonstrate certain procedures practically. My hands-on experience is dismal, if not appalling. During coursework, I almost got into trouble with one of my professors who accused me of trying to test her knowledge when I asked her how a gel documentation system works. She couldn’t believe I had never seen or used the said scanner. She wondered how I would not know about the equipment as a PhD student and told me she had a Ugandan classmate during her PhD in the UK. I told her I am not a Ugandan, and even if the equipment is available in my country (of course, biotech equipment are available in Nigeria though not as commonly as in India where every department that needs them has them; I once counted 25 thermocyclers in the School of Agricultural Biotechnology), it will not mean that every student will see or use it. Besides, I don’t carry the entire academic experience of my country on my small head and shoulders!
I therefore call on the Minister of Education to direct TETFUND to embark on massive purchase and distribution of lab equipment and reagents. We can start from a few universities.
Abdulrahman Mohammed, PhD candidate, School of Public Health and Zoonoses, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana 141004, Punjab, India +919779683849, 08032844440