The Federal Government has considered two measures to deal with Nigerian university lecturers studying abroad under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) sponsorship who have absconded.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, disclosed this while speaking with journalists during the TETFund Management retreat held in Benue State, on Monday.
The TETFund boss explained that the federal government intends to deal with the lecturers using soft and hard measures.
The soft measure, Echono said, is to make the absconded lecturers refund money spent on them while the hard measure is to repatriate the scholars.
Echono described as alarming the number of Nigerian university lecturers studying abroad under TETFund sponsorship who have absconded.
“I don’t want to give a figure because it’s alarming. It’s very sad that this opportunity that is being given is being abused.
“The figure is comprehensive. That is why it’s a bit large because there are others who have come back home but did not complete the minimum of their bond before deciding to relocate or what is called japa syndrome.
“We have a database now, which we are refining each time because the institutions are the ones submitting the report. Although it is a difficult thing to get an accurate report, for some, it’s not that they absconded, but they exceeded their course period.
“But some have extensions in their programme but we have a very good idea and the number is not encouraging and I can tell you that even the security agencies are also becoming interested and they are looking at that,” he said.
He said that the Fund is collaborating with embassies of the country where they are and the institutions to ensure that the lecturers do the right thing
“You will have recalled recently when I met with foreign institutions that will sponsor our candidate. I made it a condition for further patronage that those of our scholars that went to such institutions and did not return, that they must provide that information to the relevant authorities to their own equivalent of their internal affairs because they’re staying on visas that have not expired or did not permit them to seek employment.
“This means that they have abused their visa and they are subject to migration that is the next step we are going to take and we believe they will do the honourable thing and take the first option,” he said
.jpg){kind=tracking}
0 Comments