The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has announced the suspension of its foreign scholarship program for academic staff starting January 1, 2025.
TETFund’s Director of Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi, explained in a statement on Thursday that the decision was taken due to the high cost of training abroad and the increasing number of scholars who fail to return after completing their programs.
The statement assured that scholars already enrolled in foreign institutions would still receive funding until the completion of their studies.
“It is expected that the suspension will conserve and reduce the pressure on the foreign exchange rate, boost investment and local capacity in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions, and significantly increase the number of beneficiaries of the intervention,” Oniyangi said.
TETFund also announced plans to collaborate with the National Universities Commission (NUC) to implement Trans-national Education Guidelines. This initiative, recently approved by President Bola Tinubu, will allow top-ranking institutions from countries such as the UK, the USA, and Malaysia to partner with Nigerian universities to deliver high-quality programs locally.
Oniyangi added, “Beneficiary institutions of TETFund have been advised to prioritize their training needs for implementation in Nigerian institutions and ensure strict compliance.”
