TETFund to build 160,000-bed capacity hostels in 100 varsities

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, has disclosed plans by the fund to construct 160,000-bed capacity hostel accommodation in 100 public universities across the country.

Mr Imam made this disclosure on Wednesday during a hearing on the utilisation of staff intervention programme at the Gombe State University.

According to him, about 85 per cent of public varsities in Nigeria lack hostel facilities.

He added that aside from sponsorship of scholars, the board has identified three areas including power generation, provision of Information and Communications Technology, and hostel accommodation.

He said: “I was privileged to attend a briefing in the office of the honourable Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in the cause of which the National Secretary of the Universities Commission announced that hostel accommodation is just barely 15 per cent across our institutions. Meaning 85 per cent of all Nigerian students are not accommodated.

We have taken up this as a challenge. We are rolling out a programme that will provide in four years the provision of 160,000 bed spaces across 100 institutions.

“Second area of focus is in the provision of ICT. TETFUND will deploy the necessary infrastructure that will facilitate e-learning across the various institutions.

The next area of focus is the issue of power, TETFUND will partner with another federal agency known as Rural Electrification Agency.”

Source :Daily Nigerian