700 Nigerian Scholars to Produce 43 Textbooks for Country's Tertiary Institutions-TETFUND Boss, Bogoro said

Daily Rendezvous

The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFUND) Suleiman Bogoro, said that the setting up of Academic Publishing Centres across Nigerian universities would provide a solid footing and opportunity for the nation's future writers, thinkers and artists to produce books locally in order to discourage overseas production and demands for foreign currency.

Bogoro said, the funds intervention is specifically targeted at enhancing the capacity for publishing academic materials in the context of the complex system of knowledge production.  

Bogoro made this knwon during an engagement with beneficiary institutions for APC in the North-East geopolitical zone held at Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola, over the weekend.

Borogo said, it has become partinent to chart a road map for operation, management and sustainability of the centres in order to boost local production of academic books in the country.

He notes with concern the paucity of indegenous authored and produced tertiary level textbooks and related academic publications in the nation's tertiary instituions and that it is a reality that has to change.

Bogoro said the production of indigenous academic textbooks outside the shores of Nigeria is not a good practice for the country, hence the need to tackle the crisis.

Explaining the concept of the centers, he said, "The APC is unique in design and novel in its capabilities, conceptualized and designed with facility incorporating ICT section, e-publishing unit, editorial suite, a library exhibition room, training, photocopy achieves and storage spaces.

"We need to have printing press in place."

He said the organization may  consider an upward review of the annual maintenance fund to about N10 million to each University in the country.

The Chairman Technical Advisory Group (TAG), Charles Aworh, who was represented by Yusuf Mohammed said, "20 books in various disciplines of medicine, engineering, agriculture and humanities, eight doctorate theses from Nigerian universities converted into books were published in 2014 and distributed free to the public."

Bogoro added that, "Seven manuscripts are currently at stages of publishing into books, 20 TETFund sponsored theses are at various stages of being converted into books too.

"About 700 Nigerian scholars  across the nation's geopolitical zones  and FCT with some in diaspora and some private sector practice, have been assembled to write 43 basic textbooks in diverse  subject area of Nigeria's TEIs."

In his remarks, the chairman, TETFund Board of Trustees, Kashim Ibrahim, pointed out that, "N5 billion have been earmarked  for six geopolitical zones and Abuja for setting up Academic Publishing Centres (APCs), in the country."

Kashim, tasked heads of the institutions to justify the investment by putting the centres into effective use.

He explained that, "TETFund is committed to  proving funds for facilities, scholarship, innovation, as well as, research and development.

"TETFund has toured ten universities so far in the country, we are impressed by what we saw.

"We are out to prove that public institutions must work and produce results. 

 

"TETFund is determined to provide N250 billion in this year budget."

The host Vice Chancellor, Abdullahi Liman Tukur, speaking at the occasion said, "There must be cooperation and network of relationship which is valuable for sharing information on fresh approach and resources in aquiring  specialised and new expertise.

"The time has come to harness the various resources of the region towards turning the region into an economic power house in the Country.

"There are 16 universities, seven federal, seven state and two private instituions in need of support for enhanced learning, research  and development."

Kaletapwa Farauta, the Vice Chancellor, Adamawa State University Mubi, at the occasion appeal for a special funding and  intervention from TETFund targeted at rebuilding and reviving instituions destroyed by Insurgency in the region.

The team visited the Academic publishing Centre of the Modibbo Adams University and other TETFund projects in the University.