Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba has said that his administration has begun restructuring the State College of Health and Technology, Takum, into a polytechnic to enable it to qualify for Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) intervention.
Mr Kefas made the declaration on Saturday at the maiden combined convocation of graduates from 1995 to 2025, held in Takum Local Government Area of the state.
Represented by Dr Mike Dio, the state Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr Kefas said that plans were under way to amend some of the laws establishing the college to enable it to access TETFund.
He explained that, as a monotechnic, the college was currently ineligible for the intervention under existing regulations, assuring that legal and institutional reforms were under way to transform it from a monotechnic into a polytechnic.
The governor recalled that the Taraba College of Agriculture, Jalingo, had undergone a reform process from a monotechnic to a polytechnic and was therefore qualified to access the fund.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening tertiary education through sustained investments in infrastructure, programme accreditation, staff development and expanded access to higher education.
Mr Kefas described the convocation as a historic milestone, noting that it marked the fulfilment of a long-awaited aspiration for the institution and its alumni.
While congratulating the management, staff, parents and graduating students of the college, Kefas urged them to uphold integrity, humility and professionalism in their careers.
“Our administration placed education at the centre of our development agenda because no society can build a resilient healthcare system, grow its economy or secure its future without investing in education,” the governor said.
Mr Kefas highlighted key interventions by his administration, including a 50 per cent reduction in tuition fees across state-owned tertiary institutions, funding for programme accreditation, improved infrastructure, recruitment of additional personnel, enhanced institutional funding and the introduction of new academic programmes.
He said the interventions were part of a broader strategy to reposition tertiary education in the state and produce graduates capable of competing nationally and internationally.
Earlier, Wama Binga, the Provost of the college, said the successes recorded by the institution were the product of the collective efforts of management, staff and development partners.
Ms Binga described the event as a landmark in the history of the institution, noting that it was the first convocation since the college was established more than three decades ago.
She praised Gov. Kefas for his administration’s investment in education, saying government interventions had transformed the college’s physical infrastructure, strengthened academic programmes and restored confidence in the institution.
The college, which was established in 1993, had graduated more than 30 sets of students without holding a convocation.
(NAN)
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