The Federal Government has said ASUU and other unions within the university system have not been producing the positive results expected of them despite N1.7 trillion invested in the educational system of Nigeria.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu disclosed this on Thursday at the 2021 annual press briefing in Abuja.

Adamu stated that in the last one year, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has committed about N400 billion to the development of infrastructure in the tertiary institutions across the country.

He said, the N400 billion is different from the N1.3 trillion the Buhari administration has spent on capital expenditure in the nation tertiary institutions.

“During my briefing in May last year, I told you that the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has committed a total of N1.3 trillion of capital expenditure in our tertiary institutions.”

“In the last one year, TETfund has committed a total of over three hundred and ninety five billion to the development of infrastructure in tertiary institutions. This is aside from some budgetary allocations and revitalization funds to universities,” he said.

The Minister lamented that in the last five years, Buhari’s administration has invested approximately N1.7 trillion in tertiary institutions with the universities taking two third of the total sum. Despite of the huge commitment by the administration, ASUU has been on strike for almost a year over the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) but now has ended the strike.

It was also disclosed that the Federal Government has secured a World Bank credit facility of $611 million to support the Nigerian government in strengthening the Universal Basic Education as well as address the first pillar of Ministerial strategic Plan on Out of School children.

“So far, we have launched the BESDA in ten states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Ebonyi, Kano, Kebbi, Oyo, Yobe, Niger and Zamfara.”

“As today, we have recorded impressive school enrolment figures in 17 states of the federation where BESDA is being implemented. I can however tell you that through the BESDA initiative, we have reduced the figure of Out of School Children from 10.1 million since May last year down to 6.946, 328 million.”

On the revitalization of the teaching profession policies, he said, “Let me say that there will be no uniform take-off date for all the policies.

“However, without pre-empting the work of the committees, I would like to indicate the take-off for the following policies: Retirement age, January 1, 2022 and 40 years of service, January 1, 2022.”

According to him, the effective dates of other policies will be announced subsequently after the submission of the report of the national coordinating committees.