The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have expressed their disagreement with the Student Loan Scheme introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s government for tertiary students.
The President signed the Student Loan Act into Law few days after his assumption of Office.
Politics Nigeria reports that mixed reactions have continued to trail Tinubu’s approval of the bill.
While chief of staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, believes that setting up of the student loan scheme was one of the “surest ways” to solve the problem of funding education in Nigeria, ASUU and ASUP totally disagree.
The two bodies of lecturers in Nigeria have criticised the student loan scheme saying it would deny indigent students access to education.
Speaking on the law’s workability, given Nigeria’s high unemployment rate, both ASUU and ASUP noted that the foundation for the scheme to fail has been laid already.
They both stated that the fund would simply dry up when repayment becomes impossible.
The national president of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said the over 200 percent hike in tuition fees would make students who cannot afford it to resort to taking thing loan.
“We are not talking about how the children of the poor will be able to access it. We know that in Nigeria, things meant for the masses are always hijacked by the rich. After graduation, the children of the rich will get jobs and those of the poor, who may benefit from the scheme, will have no job from which to repay.”
For the National President of ASUP, Dr Anderson Ezeibe, “The law does not take cognisance of the economic realities and situation in the country. The foundation for the scheme to fail has been laid.
