Students loan: Reps Warn Tertiary Institutions Against Tuition hike

The House of Representatives has warned public tertiary institutions in the country not to take advantage of the Student Loan Policy of the Federal Government to increase tuition fees.

This followed the adoption of a motion by Terseer Ugbor (APC-Benue) at plenary on Thursday in Abuja.

The House also resolved to convene a Legislative Summit on student loans and access to higher education with all stakeholders in the education sector.

According to him, the use of Students Loans and Educational Credit Schemes in most countries of the world is often justified because it guarantees greater access to higher education for less privileged citizens.

He said it was further predicated on the notion that education remained an investment in human capital which in turn would promote individual development, economic growth, and national productivity.

He said, “After several years of unsuccessful attempts by successive administrations to introduce students loans, scholarships, and other educational credit schemes, the 9th National Assembly passed the Students Loans Bill.”

He noted that the objective of the Students Loans Bill was to improve access to education in Nigeria, especially among underprivileged citizens.

He, however, said that are identifiable bottlenecks that could frustrate the successful implementation of the Act.

This, according to him, is if immediate further

He, therefore called for legislative action to ensure the efficient implementation of the Act.

He said there was an urgent need to convene a legislative summit with all key stakeholders to develop a strategy to ensure the smooth implementation of the Act for the benefit of indigent Nigerian students.