The Minister of Education Professor Tahir Mamman has stated that the 'Japa syndrome' has wreaked havoc on Nigeria's educational institutions, particularly the older public universities that have traditionally served as a backbone for producing skilled manpower for the country.

The Minister stated this during the inauguration of the TETFund Board of Trustees and the governing councils of some federal tertiary institutions in Abuja on Thursday .

The Minister also highlighted some challenges that institutions face, including low carrying capacity in universities and colleges of education and the instability of academic calendars due to strikes over the years while encouraging management to view unions as partners.

Prof Mamman however called on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Board of Trustees and the governing councils of some federal tertiary institutions to leverage their expertise to drive significant improvements in quality and performance across educational establishments.

Also speaking, some heads of agencies congratulated the boards and governing councils for their nominations to serve in various capacities.
They maintained that the education sector is critical to the national affairs and it is the foundation for the country development efforts, and Nigeria, with its rapidly growing youthful population.

Earlier, the President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, called for the judicious use of TETFund funds to foster development.

Responding on behalf of Governing, Aminu Masari, emphasized that any investment in education is never a waste while that there is no better investment in human life than education. Masari assured the President that the governing councils are committed to fulfilling their mandate and maximizing the impact of investments in education to yield positive outcomes.