This innovative platform aims to foster collaboration among educators, students, and the academic community while revitalizing and strengthening Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

During the launch event held in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, revealed the importance of TERAS and its potential to reshape the landscape of tertiary education in the country.

He emphasized the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting beneficiary institutions and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to fully harness the capabilities of TERAS.

TERAS promises to be a vital tool in enhancing the quality of education and research in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, as well as fostering greater connectivity and collaboration within the academic community.

“Education is an investment in the future for our children and the destiny of our nation. Issues stemming from the past, including the disruptions caused by COVID-19, as well as ongoing funding challenges in our sector, continue to weigh heavily on our minds, he said.

”The benefits that TERAS promises to bring to educators, students, and the entire educational community are awe-inspiring and must be fully exploited,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, explained that the Tertiary Education Research, Applications and Services, was envisioned as the centralized hub for tertiary education services.

He said, “TERAS has its origins in the challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic when our education system ground to a halt. The impact was profound but it also catalyzed action.

“TERAS is designed to seamlessly integrate various essential components. First is identity management through BIMS (Beneficiary Identity Management System), followed by a federated academic repository to address critical challenges faced by students, researchers; and institutions in accessing educational resources and research materials.

“Other services such as sponsored Mobile Internet Access, and EagleScan for plagiarism checking. Aggregated Journal & Research Subscription inclusive of EBSCO, Blackboard Learning Management System, Digital Literacy (ICDL and Communication Skills), and Intervention Funding are available to our institutions, staff, and students.”

In a remark, the Secretary, Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Prof Yakubu Ochefu, explained that TERAS can be likened to an educational technology mall,

He called on Nigerians with any form of technology that can fill gaps in the education sector and add value to Nigeria’s edu-tech, to come forward.

” I want to draw the attention of the minister to ensure TERAS serves as a research platform for all Nigerians. It has been built on the public educational platform and should be open to all Nigerians”.

The government also tasked governing councils of higher institutions to “enlist the support of philanthropic organizations and individuals for additional funding of their institutions, saying: “Council can also explore other sources of revenue through endowments.”

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, stated this through his representative and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Arch. Sony Echono at the inauguration of Governing Councils of five federal universities, in Abuja.

But it charged the governing councils to adopt best practices and comply with statutory guidelines in the performance of their supervisory functions.

The Minister also warned members of the governing councils against conflicts, saying such actions were capable of undermining the smooth running of the institutions.

The minister explained that members of the councils were selected after a considerable assessment of circumstances that led to the dissolution of the four councils of the affected institutions, adding that the need to ensure stability, continuity and rebuild confidence in the institutions necessitated their choices.

“The drive to revamp the quality output of higher education in Nigeria rests on the shoulders of prominent citizens like the individuals that have been selected,” he said.

“The challenges which governing councils should tackle in the course of their tenure is the appointment of principal officers. In this regard, councils should enlist the support of philanthropic organizations and individuals for additional funding of their institutions. Council can also explore other sources of revenue through endowments.

“The council must ensure that proper attention and priority is accorded to relevant university laws and government guidelines in the process of such appointments,” Adamu said.

The Chairman Board of Trustees Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETFund) Kashim Imam made this this at the TETfund/FIRS 2020 joint interactive forum held in Ilorin on Thursday.

“A new target of N500 billion was set as Education Tax for the FIRS in 2021 considering the magnitude of challenges facing tertiary education in Nigeria,” he said.

He explained that the TETfund was committed to impact on the nation’s tertiary institutions comprising of 226 federal and state universities, federal and state polytechnic and Colleges of Education for improved infrastructure components.

Imam added that the BOT under him was, “determined to prove that public agency must work and must work to get results.”

The students made the call during a peaceful protest in Abuja on Wednesday.

They said schools could not remain shut while markets and worship centres had been re-opened.

The protest was held both at the Unity Fountain and at the Ministry of Education, both in the Federal Capital Territory.

The President of the National Association of University Students, Ejigah Felix, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said schools have been closed for too long, stating that it was wrong for political campaigns to be allowed while schools remained closed.

He said, “How do you close our universities, polytechnics and other academic institutions and you are telling people that you want to stop the virus?

“Our demands are that our schools should be reopened.

“ASUU strikes have been lingering in this country for so long. Every time that government has an issue with ASUU, it is the students that are at the receiving end. Everybody who is in school for a four-year programme ends up spending six or more years.

“We want the government to find a way of addressing this and stop putting our generation at risk. Students are about wasting one year at home and this is not good for Nigerian students.”

While urging the government to reopen schools, Felix suggested that the same guidelines put in place for the reopening of markets and worship centres as well as the resumption of flights should be put in place in schools.

In a resolution passed by the lower chamber at Wednesday’s plenary, it also mandated its Committee on Tertiary Education and Services to investigate the admission policies and practices, saying that a lot of Nigerians have been stressed while accessing admission into various institutions of higher learning.

The House resolution followed a motion sponsored by Hon. Chinedu Emeka Martins representing Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency of Imo State.

The lawmaker decried undergraduate admission acceptance fees being charged by Universities, saying that it further put financial burden on the prospective students and should be stopped.

“Having passed through the rigours of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), and the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), it was inappropriate to charge admission acceptance fees. ”

“Even the federally operated Universities charges admission fees highly.

“University of Ibadan – N35,000, University of Lagos – N20,000, Ahmadu Bello University – N30,000, Imo State University – N70,000 and Lagos State University – N20,000.

After various contributions in favour of the motion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila insisted that the Committee should turn in their investigative report in four weeks.

Source: Dailypost

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who made the remark at the formal presentation of Sexual Harassment Policy Document by the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) on the unveiling of the document following the recent British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) sex-for-grades investigation report on some African universities.

Adamu, represented by Mrs Ijeoma Duru, an Assistant Director, Tertiary Education Department in the Ministry, said students to study well to avoid undue exposure to sexual predators.

“The Federal Ministry of Education is embarrassed with the allegations of sex-for-grades in Nigeria’s higher institutions.

“Girls should read their books and be able to defend their certificates and as such, make them less vulnerable to sexual predators.

“They (female students) should stop going to lecturers unnecessarily and also should not harass their lecturers,” NAN reported.

The minister added that UNIPORT was the first university in the country to unveil a policy document against sexual harassment on campus.

According to him, the policy will go a long way in addressing the danger of sexual harassment in institutions of learning.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Ndowa Lale, also stated that the university frowned at sexual misconduct and was taking actionable steps to tackle the menace.

He said the document defined the rules of engagement between lecturers, administrators and students, including visitors to the university.

“The document unambiguously defines what constitutes sexual harassment and the sanctions to be taken against those who wittingly and unwittingly infringe on its provisions in the line of duty.

“Henceforth, lecturers and administrators who do not remember to sow zippers in front of their trousers should be ready to bear the consequences of their amorous liaison with female students.

“Also, students who harass lecturers to award them undeserved grades should equally be ready to face the music if and when they are caught in the act of self-advertisement to their lecturers.

“Similarly, any randy Juliet (female student) who blackmails vulnerable male students or colleagues, and any visitor who believes that UNIPORT is hunting ground for cheap sex would be prosecuted,” he warned.

Lale added that any person accused of sexual misconduct would be presumed guilty until such allegation was proved otherwise, under the established rules of fair hearing.