The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, listed reasons for the continuous establishment of universities despite opposition from members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Echono who gave the reason in a chat with newsmen at the weekend during the second anniversary of the Federal University of Health Science, Otukpo, Benue State.

Echono who recently retired as a permanent secretary before his appointment said that the establishment of more universities was in response to demand.

He said: “If you want to address a problem, address it from the root by mere stopping establishment of new institutions because you want concentration on existing universities while it sounds as a good idea you have forgotten the other problems that millions of Nigerians are being born and millions are applying for admission and places are few.

“Then more and more will be denied access to education so what are you going to do you are going to have many illiterates. So what are you going to do we must balance it and must continue to establish new universities in response to the demand.

“That is why if you notice in the last few years we are only establishing specialised institutions of human needs.

On the salary of University lecturers, Echono described as shameful the take home of Nigerian lecturers.

“On salary to lecturer, I feel ashamed because I have the privilege to represent Nigeria at a global conference where former presidents and prime ministers were in attendance. I was asked if it was true that a professor after 20 years still earn less than a thousand dollar a month I couldn’t answer that question I only said that we are doing something about it.”

The Executive Secretary of TETfund, however, said that 65,000 scholars had benefitted from the staff development of varsity lecturers.

He said: “We also undertake staff development, to help scholars who were employed to undertake higher qualifications, so we sponsored them for Masters, PhD and even post-doctoral program we have trained more than 65,000 scholars as at last year.

“We have students at home and abroad and our current impetus is to focus on our first-generation universities and specialised universities,” Echono said.

Runningwater:
You're still ranting for professors

How much do primary school teachers receive as salary? The bedrock of formal education

Who trains the primary school teachers?

REALretep:
Who trains the primary school teachers?

Runningwater:


Dat ur primary school teacher way teach u na professor teach am?

Dvdpity:
Nigerian lecturers are one of the brightest in Africa, but totally underpaid. Here in Ghana professors are well paid far better than their Nigerian colleagues. Its a shame that Nigerians didn't value their education and educators. Will do anything to shame them.

Dvdpity:

Did you actually attend a good school?. Don't you know that in the university, there exists a faculty of education?. In that faculty, there are professors.
Nigerians! Destroy education and your type are worst. Ignorance at it height.

Runningwater:


So you go be professor to go teach primary school students?? Whats your point??

Come on sir, we aren't in books!! We're in real life!!

Dvdpity:

Did you actually attend a good school?. Don't you know that in the university, there exists a faculty of education?. In that faculty, there are professors.
Nigerians! Destroy education and your type are worst. Ignorance at it height.

Runningwater:


Dat ur primary school teacher way teach u na professor teach am?

Dvdpity:


Try to understand the point.

Primary school tutors in Nigerian school systems or anywhere in the world attended the university. Hence they were educated by professors.
Hopefully you will understand.

greenmonk:

So the professors were born as professors and were not taught by anyone other than a professor.
Or are you implying that professors do the most difficult tasks on earth?
So because you are a professor you must receive the highest pay in the country.
Are professors the highest paid employees in America or Britain whom we like to use as our yardsticks?

Dvdpity:


Please post the salary of a British or American professor. I dare you. Its a challenge. Post the salary of educators in Britain and USA. If possible post the salaries of professors with specialization in medicine and other professional studies. I dare you.

Runningwater:


I'm seeing above $70k for professors from indeed job website then while for high school teachers I'm seeing above $60k. All yearly median salary.

So you're saying because US active professors are receiving well, all our prof should do the same?

How many academic achievements or research our own profs have done in general aside from few schools like UI and others?

sinkhole:
You're just running your mouth like running water!
Do you know the stress that Nigerian academician go through just to do research? Many public Universities in Nigeria do not have functioning campus wide internet, there is no stable power supply, no updated physical library, the laboratories are derelict. And all these are needed for quality research!
Aside the fact that American, British, etc academicians are well renumerated, there is provision of utilities such as power, internet, water, etc, so tell me how they will not do better job?

Dvdpity:
Nigerian lecturers are one of the brightest in Africa, but totally underpaid. Here in Ghana professors are well paid far better than their Nigerian colleagues. Its a shame that Nigerians didn't value their education and educators. Will do anything to shame them.

Runningwater:


Dat ur primary school teacher way teach u na professor teach am?

REALretep:
https://tribuneonlineng.com/why-fg-will-continue-to-establish-more-universities-%E2%80%95-tetfund/