Governor Mutfwang To Clear Backlog Of Bursary Allowances From 2018 To Date -Dr Kachollom Gang

Yakubu Busari

The Commissioner, Ministry of Higher Education Plateau State, Government Mrs. Kachollom  Gang has approved a 50% Tuition Fee reduction to Plateau State Indigenes studying in State- Owned Tertiary Institutions as a Palliative to reduce the effect of the economic hardship caused by the oil subsidy removal.

Mrs. Gang made this disclosure at the ministerial briefing to mark the end of the exercise at Joseph Gwomwalk Secretariat on Friday in Jos.

She said the chapter is going to implement Federal Government policies and plans on education in Plateau State with respect to (JCCE) Joint Consultative Committee on Education, (NCE) National Council on Education, and (SCE) State Council on Education.

Gang revealed that the Initiative of the policies is towards assisting the effective and efficient operations of tertiary institutions in Plateau State University Bokkos Plateau State Polytechnic Barkin-Ladi College of Education Gindiri College of Nursing and Midwifery, Vom . College of Agriculture, Garkawa ,College of Arts, Science and Technology, Kurgwi,College of Health Technology, Zawan,College of Health Technology, Pankshin including the private tertiary institutions in the state.

According to her ,the ministry embarked on familiarization visit to all State-owned Higher Institutions for interaction with Management, Staff and Students and to see the physical condition of the Institutions.

Setting up of Visitation Panels to critically examine the condition of each Institution and identify needs, challenges and make recommendations for improvement.3.

The Palliative was to mark His Excellency’s first 100 Days in Office.4. Course programmes has recently be accredited in the following State-owned Tertiary Institutions. Plateau State University Bokkos College of Health Technology Pankshin, College of Nursing and Midwifery Vom) College of Agriculture Garkawa, College of Education Gindiri , Plateau State Polytechnic, Payment for 2022, 2023 and 2024 IJMB Examinations for College of Arts, Science and Technology, Kurgwi.

 The Settlement of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 Law School Students Fees for Plateau State Indigenes.7. 300% upward Review of Scholarship for Plateau State Students studying in Higher Institutions in Nigeria.

Change of Management staff of Some Tertiary Institutions in the State to reinvigorate life in such Institutions and upgrade the standard of teaching and learning.

Cancellation of last recruitment into State Institution of Higher Learning for not following due process and initiating the process of recruiting more qualified and experienced staff in required and relevant fields to improve the quality of learning and attract more students from within and outside the State.

 She emphasized that the government commence the clamp down on Private Institutions of Higher Learning that are not duly registered with the State Government and/or are not operating in line with State policies and Laws and guidelines of the Regulatory Bodies.

She stated that through the intervention of His Excellency, the State is discussing with some institutions abroad for capacity building in critical areas through the award of scholarships. The Ministry is continuing to source for more International Scholarships in Specialized and rare fields of study.

The Ministry has developed a comprehensive Template and Guidelines for the registration of Private Higher Institutions in the State.13. Payment of outstanding salaries of ad-hoc staff in some of the Institutions which has greatly reduced the prevalence of strikes. Some Institutions owed up to 44months salaries to these adhoc staff.

The Colleges of Health Technology have succeeded in commencing the process of indexing the backlog of students who have been unable to write their final examinations.15.

The Ministry has catalogue the challenges and needs of all the Higher Institutions in order of priority for possible intervention over time as the needs are enormous.

Review of Laws Governing our Tertiary Institutions to make the day to day running of the Institutions vibrant and in-line with the guidelines of the Regulatory Bodies.            

CHALLENGES OF THE MINISTRY

The Ministry like any other Government parastatals in 2018 – 2019 till date has some bedeviling challenges which include: -As a newly created Ministry, the Office accommodation given is completely not furnished.

Hence, making it extremely difficult for staff to function effectively.  It will require about Ten Million Naira (N10,000,000.00) only to furnish the offices.  However, the Head of Service made a move to furnish the Offices.

While appreciate His Excellency for re-introducing the payment of Over Head to MDAs, the amount paid to the Ministry is grossly inadequate to meet the demand of the Ministry.

The Ministry needs more vehicles for the smooth running of its activities which includes going out for supervision, and inspection of Private and Public institutions.  It will require three (3) Hilux Vehicles.

 There is a need for perimeter fencing of all the Tertiary Institutions considering the current security challenges in the State and Country at large and the resolution of conflicts with the land owners.

The need to release approved budgetary provisions to the Ministry to enable it to function effectively.

Difficulty in accessing some Private Institutions in remote areas has hindered the adequate capture and supervision of all the institutions in the State.

Backlog of bursary allowances from 2018 to date. Automation of all processes of the scholarship board Need for a bus in the scholarship board Lack of training of staff Lack of working equipment including desktops, Laptops, and internet connectivity in the Ministry.

The need for  a robust website for the Ministry to Access data from all Higher Institutions in real time to assist and hasten