By Mercy Osajiugo
Hajia Fatimah Ndanusa, the provost, Niger State College of Nursing Sciences Bida, has called for the amendment of the Act establishing, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to cater for Schools of Nursing in the country.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bida on Saturday, she added that the amendment would allow the fund to take care of schools that provide middle level manpower medical services for Nigeria.
NAN reports that TETFund was established by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Establishment, etc.) Act of 2011, to collect and administer education tax for the rehabilitation, restoration and consolidation of tertiary education in Nigeria.
Ndanusa said that the Niger State school of Nursing was lacking in structures and infrastructure, because it was being solely funded by the state government.
She said that the school which had, in 42 years trained medical manpower for the country, was suffering federal government’s neglect.
“If there is any school to be funded it is the health school first because of the responsibility they are saddled with in respect of the human health.
“As you can see the male hostel is under construction whereas this school has been existing for the past 42 years.
“If our school was part of the beneficiary of TETFund we should not be building the male hostel now” she said.
“If polytechnics and colleges of education are funded it is absurd that health schools that produce middle manpower for the state and country at large are neglected by TETFund” she said.
Ndanusa said that the school needed a modern lecture theatre, befitting administrative block and a modern ICT centre and practical demonstration room that could accommodate 200 students.
“This is necessary as we plan to transmute from our present status to HND awarding nursing institution” she said.
She said that her school was one of those selected to be among the six in Nigeria to pilot the HND programmes for nurses.
“This is why we want the act that established TETFund to be amended so that we can begin to benefit.
“Our lecturers need to go on foreign training to acquaint with modern teaching methodologies.
“The intervention of the state government is not enough to give us structures and infrastructure.
“That was why it took us 42 years to be granted full accreditation by Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, (NMCN).”