•FG Vows To Tackle Challenges Facing Education Sector
•Prof. Tahir Promises support towards full Realization of TERAS Potentials
•TERAS will Foster Quality Assurance, Collaboration, Efficiency, Innovation- Echono
By Samson Yaki
The Federal Government has vowed to tackle the weavering challenges bedevilling the Nigerian education sector.
The Honourable Minister of Education Professor Tahir Mamman disclosed that at the Public Unveiling and launching of Tertiary Education Research, Applications and Services (TERAS) Platform, Tuesday in Abuja.
Professor Mamman said Ministry of Education is not unaware of the challenges education system faces in today’s world particularly in Nigeria which has continued to weigh heavily on the country’s advancement.
“Education is an investment in the future for our children and the destiny of our nation. Issues stemming from the past, including the disruptions caused by COVID-19, as well as ongoing funding challenges in our sector, continued to weigh heavily on our minds.
“To the dedicated staff in our tertiary institutions, please be rest assured that I am fully cognizant of your concerns, and we are committed to addressing them head-on”, he said.
While officially Unveiling and launching the new technology of TERAS, the honourable minister promised to provide beneficiary institutions and TETFund with unwavering support to fully realize the potential of TERAS, as a key component of our resolve in repositioning, strengthening and rekindling hope in the tertiary education sector.
He implored the end users to utilize them diligently for advancement of tertiary education in the Country.
He commended the collaborative effort of stakeholders whose combined effort and leadership role in synergizing ideas and providing vital input to ensure that the right steps are taken to prepare our institutions for global competiveness.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Arc. Sonny S.T. Echono, described the journey towards TERAS as being influenced by the ever-increasing importance of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), across various innovations spanning data and analytics, internet of things, convergence, blockchain, artificial intelligence, nano technology and others.
Echono stated that, “Policies have been carefully crafted and implemented to harness the power of technology, unleashing its immense potential to uplift our educators, empower our students, and produce a workforce that is globally competitive and able to address national challenges as well as exploit opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development”.
He said that the mission TERAS is to revitalize and fortify the Nigerian tertiary education landscape as promised by Mr. President, by providing an all-encompassing platform that consolidates essential services under one roof.
He maintained that TERAS will bring about centralized hub for tertiary education services, fostering quality assurance, collaboration, efficiency, and innovation.
Recalling the days of being of TERAS, Echono said the challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which grounded all human activities including education, machinaries were then set in motion to mitigate disruptions in education which culminated in the creation of TERAS.
The Tetfund Boss said the Fund had at one time or the other engaged in ICT interventions in the country’s Tetiary institutions.
He said that TERAS – Unified Services Platform provides such services as identity management through BIMS (Beneficiary Identity Management System), sponsored Mobile Internet Access, EagleScan for plagiarism checking, Aggregated Journal & Research Subscription inclusive of EBSCO, Blackboard Learning Management System, Digital Literacy (ICDL and Communication Skills), and Intervention Funding are available to our institutions, staff, and students.
The unveiling ceremony took place yesterday, Tuesday 17th October, 2023 at the conference hall, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja.