The Tutorial Employees Union of Universities (ASUU), Yola Zone, has kicked towards the scrapping of TETFUND and the discount of its shares as contained within the Tax Reform Invoice earlier than the Nationwide Meeting.
The zone comprising of MODIBBO ADAMA College, Yola (MAU), Adamawa State College, Mubi (ADSU), Taraba State College Jalingo(TSU), College of Maiduguri (Unimaid), Federal College Gashua (FUGA), and Yobe State College Damaturu ( YSU) made this recognized at a press convention at MAU, Yola on Friday.
Talking on the briefing, the zonal chairman of ASUU Dr. Dani Mamman frowned on the dismantling of the essential funding mechanism of TETFUND which search to allocate solely 50 per cent of the event levy to TETFUND from 2005-2006 with the remaining half diverted to NITDA, NASENI, and NELFUND.
The union additionally challenged the invoice for proposing to additional scale back the shares of 66 per cent from 2027 to 2029 and 0 per cent by 2030, thereby ending TETFUND interventions mandate.
The union referred to as for its rejection by all Nigerians as a result of “it’s going to spell doom and catastrophe to Nigeria’s schooling sector, particularly the tertiary schooling system within the nation.”
“The Nigeria tax invoice 2024, nonetheless, seeks to systematically dismantled TETFUND. It proposes gradual discount in TETFUND allocations from the event levy, culminating in a whole cessation of funding from 2030 onwards which can successfully cripple TETFUND potential to assist essential areas similar to employees improvement, analysis and infrastructural improvement.
That is unacceptable and can spell doom and catastrophe to tertiary schooling sector specifically and Nigeria’s schooling system as a complete,” the union revealed.
It acknowledged that the invoice, if allowed to be handed into legislation, has dire penalties for the schooling sector as a result of it’s going to inevitably return Nigeria to the darkish ages of underfunding and crumbling universities characterised by a decline in educational requirements, mind drain, stifled analysis, and elevated social unrest.
Mamman referred to as on Nationwide Meeting members, stakeholders, dad and mom, college students, conventional rulers, spiritual leaders, civil society organisations, and most of the people to unite towards the invoice.
Expressing reservations in regards to the pupil loans initiative by the federal government, they stated what they proposed to the federal government was pupil grants, not loans which college students are anticipated to pay again sooner or later.
In line with them, this type of coverage at all times leads to catastrophe with none sustainable impacts on the schooling sector.
