The Federal Government, on Tuesday moved to end dominance of foreign publications in the nation’s higher education, even as 10 new textbooks, sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), were launched.
Speaking at the public presentation in Abuja, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, noted the dependence by the nation’s education sector, adding that boosting indigenous authorship would address the problem.
His words: “The paucity of indigenously authored and produced tertiary level textbooks and related academic publications in the nation’s tertiary education institutions is a known fact overtime. Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions became dependent on books published outside the country with the attendant consequences of the pressure on demand for foreign exchange.
“It is equally worrisome that the quality of most academic publications in our country leaves much to be desired. It is, therefore, expected that nurturing the culture of quality authorship and production of indigenous books will not only ensure availability of relevant books in diverse subject areas that take cognisance of our local environment and sensitivities, but will also safeguard national pride and reduce the demand for foreign exchange.”
Adamu, represented by Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Nana Opiah, said:” TETFund Book Development Fund intervenes in the three key areas of publication of academic books and conversion of high-quality into books and support for professional association journals and establishment and sustainability of Academic Publishing Centres (APCs).
“It is worthy of note that so far 77 manuscripts have passed through rigorous review processes by distinguished scholars and are ready for publication as books. I want to assure this gathering that an additional 30 books would be presented before the end of this year under TETFund sponsorship programme.”
