By Gloria Essien, Abuja
The House of Representatives has urged public Tertiary Institutions to not make the most of the Students Loans and Access to Higher Education in Nigeria act and improve their tuition charges.
This was sequel to a movement by a member from Benue state, Mr Terseer Ugbor at plenary.
Mr Ugbor acknowledged that using college students loans and academic credit score schemes in most nations of the world is usually justified on the grounds that it ensures higher entry to larger schooling for the much less privileged residents and is additional predicated on the notion that schooling is an funding in human capital.
He noticed that whereas the targets and intention of the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2023 are patriotic, there are a number of essential omissions and identifiable bottlenecks that may stultify or frustrate the profitable implementation of the Act if speedy additional legislative motion shouldn’t be taken to make sure its environment friendly implementation.
“The house notes that while financial support from family members and relatives is often considered a traditional source for funding higher education globally, recent trends in the past sixty years indicate that governments in both developed and developing countries have in place various Students loan and Educational Credit Schemes to enable students to borrow towards the funding of higher
education.
“Also aware that 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 (Access to Higher Education) Bill, 2023 which was recently signed into law by the President to provide the legal and institutional framework for implementation of a Students Loan Scheme in the country.”
Adopting the movement, the House resolved to represent an Adhoc Committee to convene a Legislative summit on college students loans and entry to larger schooling with all stakeholders within the schooling sector.
Confidence Okwuchi
