The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Mr Sonny Echono, has highlighted the importance of technology in Nigeria’s higher education system.
He challenged tertiary institutions across the country to embrace technology and innovation, noting that TETFund’s introduction of the Tertiary Education, Research, Applications and Services (TERAS) with Blackboard integration is a significant step towards ensuring that Nigerian institutions remain competitive globally.
Echono gave the hint at a sensitisation and awareness workshop on Blackboard/TERAS usage and adoption in Abuja.
He lamented the recalcitrance of some tertiary institutions towards embracing technology for enhanced teaching, research and administration in the country.
He emphasised that the world’s most competitive higher education systems leverage digital infrastructure, data-driven planning, and open access knowledge-sharing to deliver results.
He stressed the need for digital infrastructure in higher education, citing its role in enhancing teaching, learning, and research.
Echono highlighted the importance of data-driven planning in making informed decisions and improving the quality of education.
“The adoption of TERAS and blackboard is expected to enhance the global competitiveness of Nigerian higher education institutions,” he stated.
The TETFund boss said the workshop aimed to sensitise and create awareness about the TERAS platform and its benefits, adding that it would also provide an opportunity for participants to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively utilise the platform.
He lamented that despite TETFund’s early investment in digital learning platforms such as TERAS, many universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education had refused to onboard and are still lagging behind in ICT adoption.
According to him, Nigeria’s rapidly growing population and limited availability of classrooms make technology the only viable pathway to expanding access to quality education.
“We are no longer confined to the four walls of classrooms. With just an android phone or a device, students should be able to access content, participate in learning, and acquire skills. There is no alternative to technology if we must prepare our youths for the opportunities ahead,” Echono said.
He decried the slow pace of transition to digital platforms in many institutions, some of which still send hardcopy requests to TETFund despite clear directives for e-submissions.
The TETFund boss stressed that robust and regularly updated institutional websites should be a minimum requirement in the digital age, describing many schools’ online presence as “embarrassingly outdated.”
Echono also cited the successes recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown when TETFund partnered states, the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, and radio stations to broadcast WAEC syllabus-based lessons.
