Abstract
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INTRODUCTION
Background of the study:
Education is an indispensable tool for personal and social development.
Many countries in the world see education as a good investment for national
development because it is expected to produce the required quantity and quality of
human resources for the economic growth. Nigeria being fully aware of this
desired education as an instrument per excellence in the development of the
national economy. This desire has been heightened by the act that the development
in of advanced countries such as Britain, America, Germany and France, to
mention but a few, is strongly hinged on education (Majasan. 2008). It is not
surprising then, that these countries have come to identify education as the magic
word that can transform their societies, and hence, committed a lot of human and
material resources into the provision of education at all levels and Nigeria is not
left out.
Fortunately, according to Iwechukwu (2006), the emergence of National
Policy of Education is a journey, which began since 1847 with the establishment of
British Privy Council on Education. In September 1973, the National Policy on
Education came into force by changing the school calendar, which used to run
from January to December, to now commence from September to August. In
addition, the school system which used to be mainly 6-5-4 (six years of primary
school, five years of secondary and four years of tertiary institution education
changed to now 6-3-3-4 system. This means 6 years of primary school education, 3
years of junior secondary, 3 years of secondary school and 4 years of tertiary
institution education.
Tertiary education is the level of education acquired after secondary
education in higher institutions of learning such as Universities, Polytechnics,
Colleges of education and other institutions of higher learning offering
correspondence courses, diplomas and certificates. Tertiary institutions are also
grouped into Public Institutions owned by the Federal and State Government and
private Institutions owned by Individuals, Religious bodies and other private
organizations, (Famade, Omiyale & Adebola 2015). Ahmed (2011) opined that the
challenges confronting tertiary institutions in Nigeria include financing and
funding, the growth of private tertiary institutions, management challenges and so
on but the challenge dealing the worst deathblow is that of underfunding of tertiary
institutions. Nwangwu (2005) stated that the foundation of education is frail when
education is not well funded and the products of such foundation are weak
intellectuals. When there were just few tertiary institutions, government saddle the
burden of funding the institutions solely but from the mid- 1980’s there was a
massive increase in the number of tertiary institutions and in students’ enrolment in
Nigeria. This increase has gotten to the point where government openly
acknowledged that it can no longer saddle the responsibility of funding institutions
alone.
Thus, the goal of tertiary education has long been identified as the process that
helps to develop the whole man physically, mentally, morally and technologically,
to enable him/her function effectively in any environment in which they find
themselves so that they may become more productive, self-fulfilling and attain
self-actualization (Aluede, Aluede & Ufah, 2009). Hence the importance of higher
education is to provide quality education for her products so that they can assume
leadership positions in their immediate and external communities (FGN, 2014). As
a means of providing qualitative and transformed education for her products,
degrees are expected to be awarded to graduands of these higher institutions who
may have distinguished themselves, that is, found worthy in character and learning.
In achieving the importance and objectives of tertiary education, quality of its
inputs and outputs must be ensured and transformed for the best.
In realizing quality transformation of tertiary education, the role of
TETFUND (Tertiary Education Trust Fund) became crucial. The Tertiary
Education Trust Fund (TETFund) was established as an Intervention Agency under
the Education Tax Act No.7 of 1993 to take charge of tax fund in providing
essential services to tertiary institutions. Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act, 2011
repeals the Education Tax Act which was charged with the responsibility for
managing, disbursing and monitoring the education tax to public tertiary
institutions in Nigeria by imposing a 2 percent (2%) Education Tax on the
assessable profit of all registered companies in Nigeria (Udu and Nkwede, 2014).
The mandate of the fund as provided in section 7(1) (a) to (e) of the TETFund Act,
2011 is to administer and disburse the amount in the fund to Federal and State
tertiary educational institutions, specifically for the provision and maintenance of
the following:
1) Essential physical infrastructure for teaching and learning;
2) Instructional material and equipment;
3) Research and publication;
4) Academic Staff Training and Development;
5) Any other need which, in the opinion of the Board of Trustees, is critical and
essential for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standard in the higher
educational institutions (http://tetfund.gov.ng, Saturday, February1, 2018).
Moreover, Tetfund ensures that funds generated from education tax utilized to
improve the quality of education in Nigeria without direct awarding contract by:
– Providing funding for educational facilities and infrastructural development.
– Stimulating, supporting and enhancing improvement activities in educational
foundation areas like teacher education, teaching practices, library
development among others.
– Championing new literacy- enhancing areas such as scientific, information
and technology literacy.
– Promoting creative and innovative approaches to educational learning and
services (http://tetfund.gov.ng, Saturday, February1, 2018).
Oxford Advance Learner’s dictionary (2006), viewed strategy as a plan of action
designed to achieve a long time or overall aim. It also sees manage as being in
charge of organization or people, being able to cope or being able to control the
use of money or resources. The strategies for managing Tetfund intervention refers
to plans for effective management of all the resources brought in by Tetfund in
view of achieving the aims and objectives of Tetfund and education in general.
However, this study tends to investigate on the strategies for managing the
Tetfund intervention among tertiary institutions in Anambra state.
Statement of the Problem
With the federal government interventionist measures, people still complain
about inadequate infrastructure, materials, as well as poor staff development and
researches in Nigerian tertiary institutions. This is exemplified by the view of Eze
(2014) that there is decay in human and material resources in Nigerian tertiary
institutions due to this poor funding. The implication of inadequate funding is that
it results in poor infrastructural facilities, teaching/learning facilities; library,
research, training etc. The questions one could ask are: is TETFund performing
their duties or not? Could the tertiary institutions function well to meet up the
quality/standard expected of them by the society without adequate fund, facilities,
researches and staff development programmes? Moreover, Akpan (2011) opined
that one of the fundamental ways of ensuring the optimum utility of available
resources is through, management culture. Management culture of any institution
speaks much about such an institution. According to Akpan (2011), the general
appearance of institution facilities constitute the basis upon which members of the
public pass their judgments about the academic performance going on in the
institution. The present economic recession being experienced world over has
made it absolute imperative that the gospel of management culture be preached
very loudly in our education industry. It is in view of this that the researcher tends
to investigate on the strategies for managing the Tetfund intervention among
tertiary institutions in Anambra state, a study of federal college of education
(Technical) Umunze.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to ascertain the strategies for managing the Tetfund
intervention among tertiary institutions in Anambra state, a study of federal college
of education (Technical) Umunze. Thus, the researcher sought to determine
1. How structures built by Tetfund are being managed by tertiary institutions in
Anambra state.
2. How vehicles donated by Tetfund are being maintained and managed by
tertiary institutions in Anambra state.
3. How teaching aids donated by Tetfund are being maintained and managed
by tertiary institutions in Anambra state.
4. How funds provided by Tetfund for the sponsorship of lecturers for post
graduates studies being managed by tertiary institutions in Anambra state.
5. How laboratory facilities donated by Tetfund are being managed by tertiary
institutions in Anambra state.
Significance of the Study
If the necessary information obtained from this study are properly
implemented and put into consideration, it will be of immense benefit to Tetfund,
tertiary institutions, and the lecturers.
For Tetfund, it will help them to know how their interventions are being
managed by tertiary institution.
For tertiary institution, it will help them to know the better ways to maintain
and manage Tetfund interventions in their institutions.
For the lecturers, it will help them to ascertain how Tetfund contributions to
the lecturers are being managed.
Scope of the Study
The scope of the study is delimited to strategies for managing the Tetfund
intervention among tertiary institutions in Anambra state, a study of federal college
of education (Technical) Umunze.
Research Questions
The following research questions guided the study;
1. How does structures built by Tetfund being managed by tertiary institutions
in Anambra state?
2. How does vehicles donated by Tetfund being maintained and managed by
tertiary institutions in Anambra state?
3. How does teaching aids donated by Tetfund are being maintained and
managed by tertiary institutions in Anambra state?
4. How does funds provided by Tetfund for the sponsorship of lecturers for
post graduates studies being managed by tertiary institutions in Anambra
state?
5. How does laboratory facilities donated by Tetfund being managed by
tertiary institutions in Anambra state?