Replace proposed loan scheme with grants for indigent students, ASUU tells FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the federal government to rescind its decision on the student’s loan scheme and replace it with grants instead.

Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Bauchi Zone, Lazarus Maigoro, who made the appeal on Saturday on the occasion of the award of annual indigent scholarship to 19 University undergraduate in the zone, held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

Maigoro called on well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of indigent students by complementing what ASUU is doing.

“For this year, ASUU Bauchi zone is giving 19 indigent students scholarship apart from the twelve 12 already awarded by ASUU national in the six universities that constitute Bauchi zone,” he said.

“This will further assist more indigent students to be able to acquire university education”.

He expressed delight that the 2023 scholarship was celebrated in Bauchi zone of ASUU.

“ASUU has earmarked the 12 of November every year tagged “Heroes Day” to celebrate members of the union who have made heavy sacrifices while serving the union.

“In fact, some of them like the late Festus Iyayi of university of Benin, David Jangkam of the University of Jos and many others died white on ASUU assignment while others like Prof Suleiman Abubakar of ATBU were recognized as living heroes for their contributions to the union.

“This years (2023) event was celebrated at the Union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Kaduna.
“At the event, the national body of our union awarded the sum of N200, 000 to two indigent students in all the Public universities in Nigeria while branches on their own too awarded scholarships to other indigent students in their various universities apart from that of the national
“It is based on this reason that the entire leadership and the awardees of both the national and the branch recipients of the scholarship award are gathered here to replicate what was done in Kaduna State university during the “”Heroes Day on 12th November, 2023”.

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He said ASUU was aware of the predicament of the indigent students who are sometimes prevented from writing examinations on the basis of not being able to pay their school fees/charges as the case may be thereby truncating their future.

“It is worthy to note that many students have dropped out of school due to the inability of their parents to pay their school fees or charges,” he lamented.
“This indigent student’s scholarship funded solely by ASUU at the national level or branch level has continued to support students towards the attainment of their educational objectives.

“I can authoritatively say without mincing words that as we teach these students in the classroom, we notice quite a number who are distressed due to the very harsh economic realities of our country.

“It is for this reason that ASUU totally rejects the idea of the student’s loan but students grant instead of loan which should not be paid back.
“The question is, who will pay the loan? What is the fate of those who cannot service it? The psychological trauma the students will be subjected to due to the loan while still on studies will affect their performance negatively.

“The thought that they will graduate with a loan of four million naira and above without the capacity to pay back is another psychological torture on them.
“Furthermore, those who cannot access the loan due to the stringent conditions attached virtually means dropping out of school.

“Currently, in view of the hike in school fees or charges in public universities all over the country, many students have not been able to resume”.

Replace proposed loan scheme with grants for indigent students, ASUU tells FG

Students loan begins Jan 2024, no need for lobby – Gbajabiamila

Efforts are underway to ensure the commencement of the Students’ Loan Scheme in January 2024, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said.

He also said Nigerian students would need no lobby to access the loans “to fund their educational aspirations”.

He spoke in Lagos on Friday while delivering a lecture titled, “Empowering Nigerian Youths in the Present Day Economy” at the 35th convocation ceremony of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH).

Gbajabiamila said to make the process seamless, “applicants will apply online, be verified online, and be credited based on the verifiable documents and credentials they have submitted.”

He said, “Earlier this year, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR signed the Students’ Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act, establishing the Education Loan Fund and creating a new legal framework to provide education financing through interest-free loans to Nigerian students. “

“The application system for the student loan programme is being designed so that there is no interface between the loan administrators and the beneficiaries,” he added.

The CoS said, “Applicants will apply online, be verified online, and be credited based on the verifiable documents and credentials they have submitted. Nobody will need to know anybody to qualify for these loans, so that access to this financing will be genuinely egalitarian.

“The student loan system answers part of the question of how to fund a quality public tertiary education, but it doesn’t answer all of it.

“Any serious conversation about the future of tertiary education in Nigeria must include a thorough consideration of the ways and means of addressing the funding needs of public tertiary institutions beyond government subvention.

“In this regard, we cannot for much longer avoid the simple truth that tertiary education costs money, and the best institutions worldwide succeed, amongst other things, because they can generate significant sums through fees, investments and other means.

“The simple truth is that for our institutions to compete favourably, we need more resources than are currently available to address the dangerous decline in the quality of scholarship and academic output and the graduates we produce from many of our institutions.”

He said in a perfect world, access to education would be a fundamental benefit afforded to every individual from basic through tertiary.

Gbajabiamila said, “Our learning centres will be majestic citadels of research and innovation, open to all who seek knowledge, regardless of means. But this is not a perfect world. In this real world, education is a commodity and a quality education even more so.

“Therefore, the central public policy challenge is the conflict between the competing objectives of access and quality. How do we fund a quality tertiary education without imposing costs that make access to quality education impossible for most people?

“We require a programme of aggressive and sustained investment in education. Not only in the physical infrastructure of classrooms and lecture halls but in technology hardware and software to facilitate information exchange and innovation.

“In this new world, we have found ourselves in, nothing has changed as drastically as the nature of work and how we measure productivity. Today, many skills that guaranteed employment and a healthy income for previous generations have been made redundant by technological advances.

“This generation will not only be competing with one another for opportunities, but they will also be competing in a global marketplace, against students from all over the world, and against technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, blockchain and financial technology tools that are increasingly replacing the human function in the workplace. We must prepare them with these realities in mind.

“To do this effectively, we need to develop a new understanding of the changing nature of work and the future of employment.”

Rector of the college, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul, said the institution focused on youth empowerment through its various programmes.

“To show how committed we are to the empowering of our youths, the management established Industry Advisory Committee to enhance her dynamic role of producing technical manpower for the Economic and Social development of Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, the college has been in the forefront of manpower development, technological advancement and youth empowerment.

Some of the initiatives targeted at youth empowerment put in place by the school as highlighted by the rector are the Quadruple Helix Collaboration Scheme for Youth Empowerment; the establishment of Centre for Technology Marketing and Product Development; YCT Industry Alliance Group (YIAG) Programme; the Students Work and Study Scheme, among others.

Sad! OAU lecturer slumps, dies

A senior lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Dr. Ayodele Ojediran, has slumped and died in his office.

The incident which happened on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, has thrown the university into mourning.

Ojediran, was a lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Education, Faculty of Education.

He was reportedly rushed to the institution’s clinic immediately he slumped but did not make it.

A close friend of the deceased, Ayodeji Obisesan, confirmed the incident in a post on his Facebook page.

“Dr. Ayo Ojediran, a Senior Lecturer in Faculty of Education OAU slumped and died in his office today.

“Such a very nice and humble man to the core. Always willing to help,” he wrote.

President, Faculty of Education Students Association of Nigeria, Victor Adesokan, on Wednesday, said he was with Ojediran the night before his death.

He was quoted by The Punch that Ojediran complained of headache, adding that the lecturer appeared very weak.

Adesokan, said Ojediran’s demise is the fourth death among the lecturers in the faculty in the outgoing year.

“On Monday night, he complained of headache and stress. We told him to rest.

“They (lecturers) have too much workload on them. The school needs to recruit more lecturers, especially that of Faculty of Education,” he said.