FG interested in stable academic calendar- Minister

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has said the government of President Bola Tinubu is interested in a stable academic calendar for tertiary institutions in the country.

The minister also noted that plans were ongoing to review the security architecture for schools in the country.

Mamman, who spoke during an event to mark the 60th anniversary of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors in Abuja on Monday, also noted that the government increased the salaries of workers in tertiary institutions as part of its commitment to the welfare of the academic community.

The minister also challenged the committee to place Nigerian universities among global institutions that use science and technology as vehicles for solving their problems.

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He also said that with regard to energy, steps had been taken to power the universities through gas-powered facilities using the PPP window provided by the government.

“The scheme is intended to start with 18 universities in the first instance and the shortlisted universities will be contacted appropriate stage of the project.

“The centrality of the power to service delivery, research and cost savings cannot be over-emphasised.

“Due to the recognition of the centrality of the education sector, a committee was set up to provide a roadmap to guide policy, provide implementation plans, deliverables and key performance indicators.

“And the timeline was put in place and the report of the committee is expected to be submitted this month,” he said.

“The government is also keenly interested in having a stable academic calendar for appropriate learning, research, collaboration and student exchange to take place,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, the Secretary General of the CVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu who gave a brief history of the Committee since its creation in 1962 noted that the University of Ibadan remained the only university with the highest number of Vice-Chancellors since its existence.