Abuja – Something surprising has happened in Nigeria. A school in the Southeast region of the country is getting a lot of money from the government every year, but it only has 30 students! This was shared by Mr. Sonny Echono, the head of a government agency called TETFund (Tertiary Education Trust Fund).
Mr. Echono spoke about this at a meeting in Abuja with school leaders, accountants, and people who handle school purchases. He said he felt shocked and embarrassed when he found out that a polytechnic (a kind of higher institution) that was built four years ago is getting billions of naira, but has very few students.
Even though the name of the school was not mentioned, Mr. Echono said it is located in the Southeast of Nigeria, a place known for having lots of smart and eager students. He asked, “How can there be only 30 students when students from the Southeast are schooling all over Nigeria?”
Because the school keeps receiving large amounts of money meant to help students and improve education, but has so few students, Mr. Echono called it a waste of money. He said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is already investigating the situation to know what went wrong and if anyone has done anything illegal.
Mr. Echono warned other schools that don’t use their money properly or don’t have enough students. He said those schools might stop receiving money from TETFund in the future. He explained that the goal is not to punish schools but to make sure that the money is being used the right way to help students and improve education.
He also shared some good news. This year, TETFund is spending over N70 billion to help schools get better electricity, using solar and hybrid power so students and teachers can have light and power in their schools.
Even though there are problems, other government education groups—like the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE)—praised TETFund for its work. They said it is helping schools across Nigeria to become better places for learning.
So, while the situation with the small polytechnic is serious and being looked into, is many people still believe that TETFund is doing a lot of good things to support education in Nigeria.
