ASUU, Others want Govt To Scrap ETF

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU),National Association of Nigerian Studnets (NANS) and other staff Unions of Polytechnics have supported the bill seeking to scrap the Eduation Trust Fund (ETF).
The Unions made their position on the issue known at a two-day public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Education which opened at athe National Assembly on Monday.
With the new bill, which seeks the replacement of ETF with The tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETF), tertiary institutions would become the sole beneficiaries of the fund.
COEASU stated that the new bill which has passed its seconding reading would give the fund a proper focus and check the agitation for better funding in the tertiary education sub-sector.
In his own view, the former ASUU president, Dr Oladipo Fasina who presented the Union’s position recalled that ASUU had recommended a Higher Education Tax Fund.
However, what generated different view among the union was current sharing formular of the Education Trust Fund.
While the unions in the Universities opted for the ratio 2:1:1 or 50,25 and 25 per cent in favour of the universities, Poluytechnis and colleges of Edcuation retained, the polytechnics said it should be changed to 1:2:1, while colleges of education wanted 40,30. 30 per cent respectively.
They also disagreed with section 8 (1) (9) of the new Act which provides that the executive secretary of the fund shall be a person with good knowledge and cognate academic experience in the university education pointing out that the word university education be replaced with tertiary education.