Towards enhancing learning and academic excellence on campuses, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), has commissioned some projects worth Eight Hundred and Sixty-six million naira at Cross River state College of Education, situated in Akamkpa Local Government Area.
While commissioning the projects yesterday in Awi, the Executive Secretary, TETFUND, Arch. Sonny Echono, said the projects were prioritized by the institution to address deficiencies and aid both effective teaching, learning and research undertakings.
The BEAGLE NEWS reports that the projects inauguration preceded a retreat for management staff of the intervention agency to re-appraise her performances, lately.
Some of the projects commissioned include Human Kinetic and Health Education building, School of Education building as well as the department of Cultural and Creative Arts structure, respectively.
“As required by TETFUND, the projects were prioritized by the college to address deficient areas and provide requisite infrastructure to aid teaching, learning and research and to provide conducive operating environment for both the students, lecturers, and non-teaching staff.
“The three (3) projects to be commissioned today all come to a total cost of N866,788,454.84, and they include: the school of Education building under the 2018 special high impact intervention; costing N345, 728,721.00, the department of cultural and creative arts under the years 2021-2023 (merged) annual interventions; constructed at N236,071,119.97 and the department of human kinetic and health education building valued at N284, 986, 613,” Echono stated in part while commissioning the projects.
In his welcome speech, Provost of the institution, Prof. Patrick Asuquo, commended TETFUND for her magnanimity, promising to ensure the judicious use of the new buildings. .
Earlier, in the retreat held at Metropolitan hotel in Calabar, the state governor, Prince Bassey Edet Otu applauded TETFUND for her various educational interventions in the state.
Represented by his deputy, Mr. Peter Odey, the governor said the educational sector remains a top priority of his administration, assuring that the government will endeavor to sustain her partnership with TETFUND in order to advance education in the state.
Otu partly said: “I am trying to imagine how our universities, polytechnics and colleges of education would have been without TETFUND. We value the partnership and would ensure its sustenance for the overall development of the educational sector in Cross River state.”
Also speaking, in a goodwill message, the University of Calabar Vice Chancellor, Prof Florence Obi, represented by one of the school’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Angela Oyo Ita, celebrated TETFUND’s numerous interventions in the institution.
She, however, like Oliver Twist, called for more intervention, especially on the dilapidated library of the institution.
“We have a library that is bleeding and your intervention will go a long way to turn around the misfortune of that dilapidated structure for good. As we all know, the library is the soul of the university. Unfortunately, its structural defects are getting out of hand and requires urgent intervention too", she partly said.
Olanrewaju Babatunde, Beagle News
