The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced the suspension of its foreign scholarship programme for Nigerian lecturers.
A statement signed by Director of Public Affairs, TETFund,Abdulmumin Oniyangi, on Thursday, hinged the suspension on excessive cost and high level of abscondment by beneficiary scholars.
The statement reads in full : “The Board of Trustees of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has approved the suspension of the foreign component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) Intervention
The suspension which is in response to the excessive cost of training in foreign institutions as well as the high rate of abscondment of foreign scholars is with effect from 1st January 2025.
However, TETFund scholars who have already enrolled in foreign institutions would continue to draw down on their scholarships till the end of their programmes.
It is expected that the suspension will conserve and reduce the pressure on foreign exchange rate, boost investment and local capacity in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions and significantly increase the number of beneficiaries of the intervention.
To this end, TETFund in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC) has intensified efforts in the implementation of the Trans-national Education Guidelines recently approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. Under the scheme, top ranking institutions from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Malaysia, Brazil, etc. will be encouraged to mount programmes in partnership with Nigerian institutions to offer the same standard and quality of courses that are obtainable in their home institutions.
Beneficiary Institutions of TETFund have been advised to prioritize their training needs for implementation in Nigerian institutions and ensure strict compliance.”
