Include Grants In Student Loan Bill, NANS Tells Senate

National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has called for provision of study grants for Nigerian students in the bill seeking to establish the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (Nefund).

NANS president, Lucky Emonele, made the call in Abuja at a public hearing on the repeal and re- enactment of 2024 Students Loans Access to Higher Education Bill 2024.

The public hearing was organised by the Senate  Committee on Education and TETFUND and the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loan, Scholarship and Higher Education Financing.

Emonele commended President Bola Tinubu for responding to the request of NANS, by including its leadership as representatives of the students on the loan board.

He said the students also commends the decision to repeal the Act to address gray areas that could hinder success of the student loan scheme.

According to him, there is a need to make provision of grants for students, to enable them complete or further their studies.

This, he said, would encourage more students to enroll in school and alleviate the burden that may be placed on the loans.

“If the federal government through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) could earmark N683 billion on public tertiary institutions in 2024, without requesting for payback from beneficiary institutions, Nigerian students should not be treated any different.”

He said the proposed repayment period of two years post -National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), for the loan was not realistic, saying that  less than 10 per cent of Nigerian graduates get absorbed into the labour force upon completion of their NYSC.