The Federal Government has unveiled a centralised hub for tertiary education services, designed to bring educators, students and the academic community together.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, said the innovation, Tertiary Education Research, Applications and Services (TERAS), is an information technology-based platform aimed at repositioning, strengthening and rekindling hope in the country’s tertiary education system.
Unveiling the initiative introduced by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), on Tuesday, in Abuja, the minister said, the federal government will continue to provide beneficiary institutions and the TETFund with unwavering support to fully realize the potential of TERAS.
“Education is an investment in the future for our children and the destiny of our nation. Issues stemming from the past, including the disruptions caused by COVID-19, as well as ongoing funding challenges in our sector, continue to weigh heavily on our minds, he said.
“The benefits that TERAS promises to bring to educators, students, and the entire educational community are awe-inspiring and must be fully exploited,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, explained that the Tertiary Education Research, Applications and Services, was envisioned as the centralized hub for tertiary education services.
He said, “TERAS has its origins in the challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic when our education system ground to a halt. The impact was profound but it also catalysed action.
“TERAS is designed to seamlessly integrate various essential components. First is identity management through BIMS (Beneficiary Identity Management System), followed by a federated academic repository to address critical challenges faced by students, researchers; and institutions in accessing educational resources and research materials.
“Other services such as sponsored Mobile Internet Access, and EagleScan for plagiarism checking. Aggregated Journal & Research Subscription inclusive of EBSCO, Blackboard Learning Management System, Digital Literacy (ICDL and Communication Skills), and Intervention Funding are available to our institutions, staff, and students.”
In a remark, the Secretary, Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Prof Yakubu Ochefu, explained that TERAS can be likened to an educational technology mall,
He called on Nigerians with any form of technology that can fill gaps in the education sector and add value to Nigeria’s edu-tech, to come forward.
“I want to draw the attention of the minister to ensure TERAS serves as a research platform for all Nigerians. It has been built on the public educational platform and should be open to all Nigerians”.
