By Damilare Adeleye
The Federal Government has launched a Tertiary Education Research, Applications and Services (TERAS) to put an end to disruption of the academic calendar due to pandemic or any other unforeseen circumstances.
Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education, while unveiling the platform, said the innovation aligns with the present administration’s quest to transform the nation’s tertiary education sector.
It was reported that TERAS, championed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), is designed to serve as a platform to deliver digital based resources to public institutions, and also identifies staff and students to whom these resources are to be delivered.
Mamman stated that TERAS signifies a paradigm shift in Nigerian Tertiary Education, noting that the technology underpinning TERAS was a testament to the careful expertise in its design and implementation.
“The Ministry will continue to provide our beneficiary institutions and TETFund with unwavering support to fully realize the potential of TERAS, as a key component of our resolve in repositioning, strengthening and rekindling hope in our tertiary education sector,” he said.
The minister said that the Federal Ministry of Education would ensure the platform’s growth to benefit millions of students and academic staff, adding that all would be done to address the challenges in the Nigerian education system.
“During the challenging days of COVID-19, many of us in the private sector took concrete steps in private institutions to mitigate disruptions for our staff and students by transitioning to hybrid learning mode. We pondered what could be done for our public institutions?
“Today, I am delighted to witness TERAS, and I can confidently state that never again will we suffer the kind of disruption that we experienced during that period.
“We are committed to leveraging digital educational resources provisioned by TERAS to accelerate the adoption of hybrid learning methodologies in our public Tertiary Institutions. The implementation of our ICT roadmap will occasion the leap that will expand our teaching, learning and research beyond the confines of physical classrooms,” he said.
Similarly, Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of TETFund, said the unveiling and launching of the platform marked a significant moment in the history of Nigerian tertiary education.
“We envision TERAS as the centralized hub for tertiary education services, fostering quality assurance, collaboration, efficiency and innovation.
“TERAS has its origins in the challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when our nation and our education system ground to a halt. The impact was profound, but it also served as a catalyst for action.
“Government, recognizing the need to mitigate disruptions in education, swiftly set in motion a series of policies and directives through the Federal Ministry of Education. These initial steps have now culminated in the creation of TERAS, the groundbreaking platform we present today,” he said.
Echono added, “TERAS has been meticulously designed to seamlessly integrate various essential components. First is identity management through BIMS (Beneficiary Identity Management System), followed by a federated academic repository to address critical challenges faced by students, researchers, and institutions in accessing educational resources and research materials.
“Other services such as, sponsored Mobile Internet Access, EagleScan for plagiarism checking. Aggregated Journal & Research Subscription inclusive of EBSCO, Blackboard Learning Management System, Digital Literacy (ICDL and Communication Skills), and Intervention Funding are available to our institutions, staff, and students.”
He said the agency aimed at growing the over 2 million students and staff of beneficiary institutions currently captured on BIMS to beyond 3 million before the end of the year.