The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) on Tuesday organized a sensitization workshop for top personnel of higher institutions of learning in Nigeria including Vice Chancellor’s, Rectors and Provosts.

The workshop which focused on Career Service Centres, Teaching Practice, Beneficiary Identity Management Service (BIMS) and Hostel Development, was declared opened by the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman at the NUC conference hall in Abuja.

In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of TETfund, Arc Sonny S.T Echono, said the workshop is for the purpose of brainstorming over some identified areas of intervention that are highly beneficial to Institutions and students.

“This workshop is conceived mainly for the purpose of brainstorming over some identified areas of intervention that are seen to be highly beneficial not only to our Institutions, but to our students who are the ultimate beneficiaries of all the interventions in the tertiary institutions.

“Funding educational activities requires careful consideration of different needs and expectations. Funding must also be directed at essential programs which align with the strategic objectives in terms of outcomes of investment in either physical or content development that the funding usually supports.

Arc Echono said the provision of physical facilities must be accompanied by corresponding programs that will ensure maximum impact and benefit to the target group, “As such, the Fund is constantly and critically reviewing its operations and interventions with a view to ensuring that the interventions meet the actual goals that are intended at conception”.

He noted that new programs and intervention lines are sometimes introduced, and some innovation or alterations are carried out regarding some existing ones, and where necessary non performing ones are dropped.

“At this workshop, an academic and practitioner in Guidance and Counselling has been selected to deliver a paper with the theme “Incorporating Holistic Approaches to Career Counselling that considers Students Personal, Academic and Professional Development Needs.’’

“I am hopeful that his paper will not only throw light on the subject matter, but will also emphasize the significance of the centers and the services they are to provide for the benefit of the Beneficiary Institutions.

“The workshop will further feature a presentation by the Strategic Planning Department on the TETFund Guidelines for accessing the Career Services Center intervention so that it hastens the processing time in accessing the intervention funds.  As a new intervention line, suggestions on reasonable and necessary adjustments in the guidelines are welcome.

“Another area that has occupied our thoughts and concerns is the repositioning of the teaching profession and the teaching practice intervention that the Fund had consistently made available to supervisors and the sustainability of the intervention. Teaching practice provides experiences to supervisors and student teachers in-real time in the teaching environment and provides an opportunity for supervisors and student-teachers to practice the art of teaching before they become real teachers.

“This helps to perfect their ability and potentials in pedagogy. It enables supervisors and student-teachers to discover their weaknesses and strengths in the classroom and provides the opportunity to hone and improve their abilities. Teaching practice enables supervisors and student-teachers to develop positive attitude towards the teaching profession among several other important reasons. This is why the teaching practice intervention has remained a relevant intervention area of the Fund”, he said.