Title: Influence Of The 2025 Tetfund Sponsorship Eligibility Policy On Further Studies Among Office Technology And Management Educators In Polytechnics In North-Central Nigeria
Authors: Mary Oiza JACOB, Joy Egbunu ATANU and Esther Imidowojo OKOLO
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Pages: 151-158
Publication Date: 2026/07/28
Abstract:
This study assessed the influence of the 2025 TETFund Sponsorship Eligibility Policy on the participation of Office Technology and Management (OTM) educators in further studies. The study was motivated by concerns that the revised sponsorship eligibility requirements may influence educators' access to postgraduate education and professional development opportunities. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. Data were collected from 117 OTM educators drawn through stratified random sampling from six state polytechnics located in Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau States, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire served as the instrument for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in Business Education and Measurement and Evaluation, while its reliability was established using the Cronbach's Alpha reliability method, yielding an acceptable reliability coefficient. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) to answer the research questions, while the hypothesis was tested using the Chi-square (?²) test at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that the 2025 TETFund Sponsorship Eligibility Policy significantly influences OTM educators' participation in further studies. Respondents agreed that policy requirements relating to institutional eligibility, access to sponsorship opportunities, funding availability, and policy implementation procedures affect their decisions and ability to pursue higher academic qualifications. The Chi-square analysis further indicated a statistically significant relationship between the TETFund Sponsorship Eligibility Policy and OTM educators' participation in further studies (p < 0.05), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. The study concluded that the 2025 TETFund Sponsorship Eligibility Policy is a major determinant of OTM educators' participation in postgraduate studies. It is recommended that TETFund broaden the eligibility criteria to include more qualified institutions and adopt more inclusive implementation strategies to enhance equitable access to sponsorship opportunities and strengthen the capacity development of OTM educators in Nigerian state polytechnics.