FG Launches TERAS: A Central Digital Services Platform for Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Government has officially introduced the Tertiary Education Research, Applications, and Services (TERAS), a central digital services platform designed for tertiary institutions. TERAS, a creation of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), was formally unveiled by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, SAN, in Abuja.

TERAS encompasses a comprehensive information technology infrastructure and service suite, offering computing, storage, and networking resources to participating institutions. Additionally, the platform is intended to cater to the publication and learning needs of students through institutional libraries.

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During the launch, Minister Mamman expressed his enthusiasm for TERAS and the transformative impact it will have on the tertiary education sector. He highlighted the significance of technology in the design and execution of TERAS.

Mamman assured the audience that the Ministry of Education would continue to offer unwavering support to both beneficiary institutions and TETFund to fully harness the potential of TERAS, with the goal of revitalizing and strengthening the tertiary education sector. The minister also acknowledged the challenges facing the education system, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and funding constraints.

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In his speech, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono, emphasized the central role TERAS would play as a hub for tertiary education services. Echono traced the origins of TERAS to the challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the education system was significantly disrupted.

TERAS is designed to seamlessly integrate various components, including identity management through the Beneficiary Identity Management System (BIMS), a federated academic repository to improve access to educational resources, sponsored Mobile Internet Access, plagiarism checking through EagleScan, aggregated Journal & Research Subscriptions, a Blackboard Learning Management System, Digital Literacy programs, and Intervention Funding.

The TETFund aims to increase the number of students and staff captured on BIMS from over 2 million to beyond 3 million by the end of the year.

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Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, the Secretary of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, commended TETFund for the development of TERAS. He emphasized the need for more funding to support the scheme and encouraged the platform to serve as a research hub for all Nigerians.

TERAS is hailed as a significant milestone in the history of Nigerian tertiary education, promising to revolutionize the sector and improve the quality, collaboration, efficiency, and innovation in educational services.