Private Universities Deserve TETFund Grants Too—Stakeholders Advocate for Equal Support
The chairperson of Topfaith University, Dr. Emmanuel Abraham, has called on the federal government to include private universities in the grants provided by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
During a discussion with reporters in his office on Tuesday, Abraham mentioned that while he does not advocate for private universities to rely on government support, he believes that TETFund funding could enhance research at private institutions and subsequently aid in the nation’s technological progress.
“If the government is committed to the effective development of human resources, it should also consider backing private research initiatives.
Universities globally act as research hubs addressing critical national infrastructure, assets, and social or scientific challenges.
“If this were to occur, TETFund could select certain private universities based on their areas of expertise and provide funding for projects that would enable them to contribute to national development in specific fields,” he stated.
He expressed that excluding private universities from TETFund grants does not serve the country’s interests in technological and national progress.
“If the government is truly invested in effective human resource development, it makes sense for it to support private initiatives using specific, well-defined assessment criteria so that private universities can be included in TETFund’s budget.
“Any private university meeting defined standards should be allowed to establish laboratories. In many regions worldwide, universities function as research institutions addressing crucial social and scientific issues and other areas.
“If this were to happen, TETFund could consider certain private universities based on their specialties and finance their research initiatives to facilitate contributions to national development in targeted areas.”
Abraham emphasized that he is not arguing for the private university system to depend financially on government assistance; instead, he suggested that for a nation aiming to invest in knowledge, such investments should not be selective.
“TETFund and the National Universities Commission are aware of the capacities of each university, which can serve as a basis for selecting institutions for TETFund grants specifically for research purposes.
Abraham noted that Topfaith University is situated in a region abundant with oil palm plantations, making it suitable for related research.
“TETFund could state that since Topfaith University is located in a key area for palm oil production, we can provide you with a laboratory to investigate oil palm production through your university’s biotechnology program.
Currently, we are conducting significant research in oil palm production and have established a palm seedling multiplication center as part of our entrepreneurship initiative, meant to familiarize students with the palm oil production process.
“Our area is rich in oil palm trees, and we need to elevate oil palm production to the levels of science, technology, and digital education, which must be achieved through research.
“In my opinion, I would advise that the government should not exclude private universities from accessing research funding and support from government agencies like TETFund,” he concluded.
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