The Foreign component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) Intervention has been suspended following the approval by the Board of Trustees of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday, by the Fund’s Director, Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi.
The suspension which is effective from January 1, 2025 is in response to the excessive cost of training in foreign institutions as well as the high rate of abscondment of foreign scholars.
The statement, however, noted that TETFund scholars who have already enrolled in foreign institutions would continue to draw down on their scholarships till the end of their programmes.
It added that the suspension is expected to conserve and reduce the pressure on foreign exchange rate, boost investment and local capacity in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions and significantly increase the number of beneficiaries of the intervention.
The statement reads:
“The Board of Trustees of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has approved the suspension of the foreign component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) Intervention.
“The suspension which is in response to the excessive cost of training in foreign institutions as well as the high rate of abscondment of foreign scholars is with effect from 1st January 2025.
“However, TETFund scholars who have already enrolled in foreign institutions would continue to draw down on their scholarships till the end of their programmes.
“It is expected that the suspension will conserve and reduce the pressure on foreign exchange rate, boost investment and local capacity in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions and significantly increase the number of beneficiaries of the intervention.
“To this end, TETFund in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC) has intensified efforts in the implementation of the Trans-national Education Guidelines recently approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. Under the scheme, top ranking institutions from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Malaysia, Brazil, etc. will be encouraged to mount programmes in partnership with Nigerian institutions to offer the same standard and quality of courses that are obtainable in their home institutions.
“Beneficiary Institutions of TETFund have been advised to prioritize their training needs for implementation in Nigerian institutions and ensure strict compliance.”
