The Tertiary Institution Trust Fund (TETFund) is to establish standard Academic Publishing Centres (APCs) in universities as part of measure to revive reading and writing culture.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Yola.

Bogoro said the contract for seven of the centres had already been awarded, with one sited in a university in each of the six geopolitical zones and Abuja.

The TETFund boss, who inaugurated the completed APC in Modibbo Adama University of Technology,Yola, said the remaining would be ready soon.

“I am so happy to be here being the very first to be competed. We will provide printing facilities; we are going for the very best in the world.”

Bogoro, who reiterated the fund's commitment to massive intervention in upgrading public tertiary institutions, said the poor rating of Nigerian institutions was unacceptable.

He said no fewer than 7,000 lecturers out of the 12,000 sponsored abroad by TETFund for further studies had returned.

Bagoro gave an assurance that the lecturers would be provided with quality teaching facilities in line with best practices.

The executive secretary urged tertiary institutions to implement the policy of retaining their first class graduates, saying TETFund was ready to sponsor them for further studies.

He also urged state governments to stop playing politics with education by establishing tertiary institutions they could not fund.

“Tertiary institutions should be established when the owner has the capacity to fund them. We should stop playing politics with education.”

He lamented that between 90 and 95 per cent of infrastructure in many state-owned tertiary institutions were being provided by TETFund.

Bogoro also urged the Federal Government to ensure full release of money budgeted for its tertiary institutions.

He cited the case of University of Ibadan where over N300 million was appropriated for capital projects, with the institution receiving only N50 million.

“We (TETFund) are by law an interventionist agency, we are not supposed to be the main provider of infrastructure, but ironically we have become the main.

“We are saying if annual appropriated capital commitment are utilised to the level of pronouncement every year, it would go a long way in supplementing TETFund.

“As I am talking now, a case is being made for upward review of the two per cent tax collection for the fund to four per cent; if that happens you can better imagine what TETFund will do.”(NAN)

•Photo shows Bogoro

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