By Gabriella Ogbu<\/p>\n
Arc. Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has addressed recent criticisms regarding the Fund’s decision to implement academic and professional development programs through Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) rather than traditional contracts. Echono denounced what he described as “baseless allegations” circulating on social media, which he claims are designed to discredit the Fund’s management and divert attention from its achievements.<\/p>\n
In an interview with reporters in Abuja, Echono elaborated on the advantages of using MoUs. He explained that unlike contracts, which are rigid and focused solely on value exchange, MoUs foster cooperation, partnership, and teamwork. This approach, he argued, has allowed TETFund to save millions of dollars by providing support without the high financial demands typically associated with contracts.<\/p>\n
Echono criticized the misrepresentation of MoUs as procurement contracts, labeling it as deliberate misinformation. He emphasized that MoUs offer flexibility and adaptiveness, making them more suitable for the unique challenges faced in the Nigerian context compared to the rigid terms of traditional contracts. He noted that MoUs allow for adjustments in scope and costs without the penalties associated with fixed-term contracts.<\/p>\n
One notable example cited by Echono is the BLACKBOARD digital learning platform. Through a MoU, TETFund secured access for two million users at a reduced rate of $2.90 per user, significantly lower than the usual $12 per user. Another example is the EDUNET program, which costs $15 per user per course under normal circumstances, but through TETFund’s MoU, the cost is reduced to $2 per user for three courses.<\/p>\n
Echono also addressed the misconception that the MoUs were designed to circumvent regulations set by the Public Procurement Act. He clarified that while contracts have fixed terms and conditions, MoUs are more adaptable, aligning with the dynamic needs of educational institutions and avoiding the rigid constraints of traditional contracts.<\/p>\n
The TETFund Executive Secretary further explained that the MoUs have been instrumental in supporting various programs, including the ICT Road Map implemented in 2016. This initiative was based on an assessment of ICT adoption among recipient institutions, highlighting the varying levels of readiness and the need for tailored support.<\/p>\n
Addressing concerns about data reliability and student record updates, Echono mentioned ongoing efforts to involve the Director of ICTs, Registrars, and Students Union Government of each beneficiary institution to address these challenges and expedite program implementation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Gabriella Ogbu Arc. Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has addressed recent criticisms regarding the Fund’s decision to implement academic and professional development programs through Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) rather than traditional contracts. Echono denounced what he described as “baseless allegations” circulating on social media, which he claims are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":40533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40532"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40534,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40532\/revisions\/40534"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}