Reduce the education cost instead of giving loans – NANS tell Government

Friday, September 6, 2024 The Nation Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has urged the Federal Government to prioritise cutting down the high cost of education instead of the loans it is proposing to give to students.

The Senate President of the NANS, Henry Okuomo, gave this advice on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s programme, Sunrise Daily.

Okuomo said a reduction in the costs of education would be more profitable to Nigerian students, as against loans that may not be paid back due to the high rate of unemployment.

“For now, we don’t know who the beneficiaries of those loans are. We don’t know those who have applied for the loans and the modalities of getting the loans because it is not even accessible to some students.

“We know those who have tried getting the loans that couldn’t get it. We have reached out to NELFUND on the issue but haven’t been able to get feedback.

“Apart from the loan, we propose that instead of giving loans to the students, the government should reduce the cost of education.

“They should bring down the cost being paid by tertiary institutions to between N20,000 and N50,000. This will allow anybody to be able to access education if the fee is affordable. But now, even with the loan that they are giving us, we do not know the modalities for payment.

“Is it this country now that a graduate is not able to get a job that a loan will be paid back to the government?

The implementation of the student loan scheme is President Bola Tinubu’s flagship project in the education sector.

The president introduced the fund when he signed the Access to Higher Education Act, which creates a legal framework for granting loans to indigent or low-income Nigerians to facilitate the payment of their fees in Nigerian tertiary institutions.