TETFUND Desk Officer, Mr. Obafemi Oginni
The Deputy Director and Desk Officer, Tertiary Education Trust FUND (TETFUND), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Mr. Obafemi Oginni has advised the selected beneficiaries of TETFUND Conference Attendance Intervention to be good ambassadors of the University in particular and the nation in general.
In a brief chat with FUNAAB Bulletin in his office at the Senate Building, Mr. Oginni stated that 89 staff were recommended by the University, adding that 74 were approved while 15 were disqualified either for incomplete documentation or where more than two staff registered for same conference.
Mr. Oginni described the great feat as unprecedented in the history of the University, saying that recipients will be travelling to 31 different countries spread across six continents of the world.
According to him, capacity building should not be done In-House alone but should be extended internationally as travelling is part of education.
“Travelling is first education without walls because one will be exposed to latest technology, ideas and different cultures”, he stressed.
The Deputy Director said that the development is in line with the vision and mission of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole to enhance capacity building and also to transform the University to a world class status”.
“It’s a reflection of his robust vision for this University as he emphasized capacity building in transforming FUNAAB into a world class University”, Mr. Oginni noted.
Mr. Oginni attributed the low level of applications recommended by the University to TETFUND as a consequence of the poor reading culture of our people despite the publication of the guideline in FUNAAB Bulletin Vol. 3 No. 30 of July 30, 2012.
He, however, disclosed that subsequent ones will still be placed in the FUNAAB Bulletin and the University’s website for everyone to access.
On those whose Conference dates have lapsed, the Desk Officer said “there is no cause for alarm as the Vice-Chancellor had envisaged that by creating the TETFUND Liaison Office in the University, so that we don’t miss opportunities and lose money by not being proactive. We have been in constant touch with Abuja for any development as regards the intervention fund”.
“If for untimely release of fund or delay in issuance of visa, the beneficiary who missed the initial opportunity should look for a similar conference within the same geographical area.
This implies that an attendee in Canada can look for a similar one in the United States of America (USA) which falls in the same continent but it cannot be substituted for a conference in Ghana”, he added.