The House of Representatives has urged the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to intervene in the completion of a 75,000-capacity lecture theatre currently under construction at the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa.
This call was made by the Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Education, Hon. Kayode Laguda, during an oversight visit to the institution over the weekend.
Hon. Laguda expressed satisfaction with the progress made on the lecture theatre and emphasised the importance of completing the facility swiftly.
He highlighted the growing emphasis on skills acquisition in the government’s education curriculum, noting that such infrastructure is essential to supporting this shift from traditional classroom lecturing.
He also acknowledged the significant population growth at the institution, which currently has over 1,000 lecturers and runs a wide range of programmes.
The committee suggested the possibility of recruiting more lecturers to accommodate the increasing student population.
In response, the Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, Dr. Munir Ahmed, reported that the institution currently serves 22,000 students and employs 1,459 staff members across 28 academic programmes.
He also mentioned that the institution is adhering to the Federal Government’s directive, which restricts the recruitment of additional lecturers.
Earlier, the Acting Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Hauwa Mohammed, expressed appreciation to the committee for their oversight visit.
She outlined the institution’s developmental achievements but also voiced concerns over funding constraints and other challenges.
During the visit, the committee also inspected the institution’s medical centre, which has a 14-bed space, a laboratory, and an X-ray department, staffed by only two doctors and eight nurses.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE