President Bola Tinubu has directed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to increase the number of modern hostels in tertiary institutions from 36 to 72 by the year 2025.

The Executive Secretary, TETFund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students.

According to a statement released by the Fund today, the president’s directive to the fund followed his plans to ensure industrial harmony in tertiary institutions.

The statement which was signed by the Director, Public Affairs of TETFund, AbdulMumin Oniyangi, noted that Echono also asked students to ensure that public properties on campuses are not destroyed during the planned nationwide protests.

Echono, who stressed the need to ensure a stable academic calendar, said when the President “was told about frequent disruptions in the academic calendar, the president gave specific instructions to the minister that one of your first expectations is for us to have harmony in the sector, so we can have a predictable academic calendar that our students will go to school and know when they will graduate and ensure that that is kept.

“We are also pleased that this same president gave a charge to us at TETFund that we must do everything possible to improve the learning experience of our students, the quality of education we are getting, and improve your welfare on campus.”

“This year we are doing about 36 of them and are at various stages; many of them have fulfilled the procurement circle. Others are being done through PPP. I was there to launch the one in Akwa Ibom and I have been informed that three others are ready to commence.

“But the good news is that Mr President has directed that we intensify this. So instead of doing 36, next year we’ll be doing 72,” he said.

He also noted that after raising the issue of campus transportation with the president, he directed the fund to work with relevant agencies to convert existing buses to CNG and provide mass transit buses for students on campus as part of TETFund’s intervention for next year.

On the issue of power on campuses, Echono lamented that some universities were charged between N300 million to N400 million as electricity bills in one month, wondering how the institutions can cope if there is no urgent intervention.

He  disclosed that TETFund has commenced conversations and held a meeting with people from the Ministry of Power to find a way to address the issue of power supply in tertiary schools.

“It’s going to be one of the major issues we are going to look at when we call our major stakeholders meeting of all heads of schools. We have to put our heads together to see how we need to have alternative power sources that will reduce the burden.

“As I speak, some universities are getting N300 million, N400 million bill for electricity in one month. How can they cope? Some are even rationing; they have light for only four hours a day,” he said.

He further revealed that the president has also directed the immediate payment of four months salary arrears owed Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU.

PUNCH