The Nigerian through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has sponsored and unveiled publication of 50 academic textbooks written by different Nigerian scholars on various subject matters in the areas of medical, Sciences, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and others.
The publications under the Funds Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project is aimed at local production of books with local content and reducing dependence on foreign books.
Minister of Education, Mr. Marufu Alausa at the unveiling of the books in Abuja Nigeria said teaching and research depend on relevant instructional materials such as published books and journals, monographs, and other specialised reading materials as well as electronic publishing of books and journals.
“The paucity of indigenously authored and produced tertiary level textbooks and related academic publications in the nation’s tertiary education institutions is a known fact. Overtime, Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions became dependent on books published outside the country, with the attendant consequences of the pressure on the demand for foreign exchange.
“It is equally worrisome that the quality of most academic publications in our country leaves much to be desired. It is therefore expected that nurturing the culture of quality authorship and the production of indigenous books will not only ensure the availability of relevant books in the diverse subject areas that take cognizance of our local environment and sensitivities but will also safeguard national pride and reduce the demand for foreign exchange,” said the Minister
According to the Minister the scarcity of tertiary level texts in Nigeria has reached a crisis proportion as evident not only in the quality of books available but also in the quantity of books produced locally. The need to tackle this crisis head-on resulted in the establishment of TETFund Higher Education Book Development Project.
“The Government is giving more attention to publication through TETFund in a bid to provide adequate indigenous learning materials in our Tertiary Educational Institutions for national development and improve the global ranking of Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions,” he said
He said the books were produced under the close monitoring of Technical Advisory Group (TAG) whose mandate included collaboratively working with the Fund in fine tuning the Book Development Blue Print Document into Strategic Working Document.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recognized the place of education as the main driver of national growth, hence the commitment in funding and policy re-prioritisation towards content development and capacity building of the staff of the country ‘s Public Tertiary Education Institutions.
The Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Sonny S. T. Echono, said the unveiling is a bold and visionary initiative aimed at addressing the significant gap of the lack of sufficient, high-quality tertiary-level textbooks with local content.
“The lack of sufficient, high-quality tertiary-level textbooks has reached a critical point in Nigeria. The shortage is not only seen in the limited quantity of books available, but also in the quality of what is produced locally. This crisis prompted the establishment of the TETFund Higher Education Book Development Project, a bold and visionary initiative aimed at addressing this significant gap.
“The impact of these interventions cannot be overstated. So far, One Hundred and Thirty (130) manuscripts have successfully passed through rigorous review processes and been published as textbooks, with more manuscripts currently under review.
“The TAG Committee was reconstituted in June 2024, and based on the fresh target set, a total of ninety-seven (97) manuscripts were reviewed, scrutinized and recommended for publication. Out of these, fifty (50) manuscripts have been published and are now here with us for public presentations.
“Another sixty (60) books are scheduled for unveiling before the end of 2025. It is important to also note that, in our efforts to ensure value for money, Authors will now receive monetary compensation based on the number of pages in their books instead of the one thousand (1000) copies of their books being given to them,” he said.
On his part, Chairman, Board Trustees of TETFUND, Rt. Hon Aminu Bello Masari, who was represented by Rt. Hon. Sunday Adepoju, said that one of the primary objectives of the Higher Education Book Development Project, among others, is to reduce overreliance on foreign reading and learning material for public tertiary institutions.
He said over the years, TETFund has become a veritable source of assured funds for desired interventions at the tertiary level of education in the country. This was made possible due to the commitment of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) in ensuring that the education sector is always given top priority under his Administration.
“The education system of a country is very strategic and germane for overall development of any nation, hence, should be given top priority over other sectors. In view of this, I wish to assure you that TETFund will continue to deliver responsive intervention programs and will be at the forefront in promoting creative and innovative approaches to educational learning and championing new literacy enhancing areas,” he said
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