Student Loan Bill: Tinubu passionate about education, says minister

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Monday, March 18, said President Bola Tinubu does not want any child of school age to be out of school, because of his passion for the education sector.

This is even as Senate president Godswill Akpabio said that the legislative agenda of the 10th National Assembly will bring about tremendous improvement in the standard of living of Nigerians.

Tahir and Akpabio spoke in Abuja during a Public Hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tetfund and House of Representatives Committee on Students Loan, Scholarship and Higher Education Financing on Student Loan (Access to Higher Education), repeal and reenactment Bill 2024, at the Senate, on Monday.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman, commended President Tinubu for his passion and commitment to the education sector.

He said the president does not want any child of school age to be out of school, given his passion for the sector.

He said the public hearing would provide an opportunity to make further input to improve the bill for the good of Nigerian students.

Represented by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, he commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his foresight and uncommon passion in supporting the students of the country with the loan scheme.

He said the scheme will address the problems of lack of funding among Nigerian students.

“The present 10th National Assembly at its inception in 2023 set out for itself a legislative agenda whose implementation will surely bring about a tremendous improvement in the living conditions/standards of the citizenry with Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” Akpabio said.

In amending the bill, Akpabio said the opinions of all stakeholders would be considered to have the best legislation.

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“I wish to urge you to freely express your views and opinions either for or against the subject of this hearing in a manner that will bring about the sustenance of our collective will to be together as a nation to call ours.

“Public Hearings are one of the primary legislative processes that offer the general public and especially relevant stakeholders the opportunity to contribute their quota to law-making.

“There is no doubt that your views at this Joint Public Hearing will go a long way in assisting the committee make an informed recommendation (s) to the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively.

“It is this submission/recommendation of the Committees that the Senate and the House of Representatives will rely on to pass/make relevant laws for the good governance of our citizenry as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended,” he said.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Muntari Dandutse, said access to quality higher education was a pressing concern for many Nigerian students.

He said the student loan scheme offers hope for addressing issues of students and ultimately improving Nigeria’s tertiary education.

He said the scheme would promote access to education and enable more students to pursue their dreams.

Dandutse said the successful implementation of the scheme would unlock a brighter future for the youths and the entire nation.

He stated: “By removing financial barriers, these initiatives will enable more students to pursue higher studies, leading to a larger pool of skilled graduates who contribute to the country’s social and economic development. Increased literacy rates foster economic growth, social progress, and democratic participation.”

He urged all stakeholders to make valuable inputs to effect positive change in the act and drive progress in the nation’s tertiary education sector.

Also on Monday, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), called for the provision of study grants for Nigerian students in the Bill seeking to establish the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (Nelfund).

President of NANS, Mr. Lucky Emonele, in his presentation at the public hearing on the 2024 Students Loans Access to Higher Education Bill 2024, commended President Tinubu for responding to the request of NANS, by including its leadership as representatives of the students on the loan board.

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He also commended the decision to repeal the act to address grey areas that could hinder the success of the student loan scheme.

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

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

“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.

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.

The NANS President, therefore proposed for a minimum of five years repayment duration, given the challenges of unemployment after graduation.

He also appealed that the provision of a loan scheme should not be a further reason to arbitrarily increase school fees by the management of tertiary institutions.

He urged the National Assembly to pass a resolution that prohibits public tertiary institutions from increasing school fees in the next 10 years.

This, he said was the only way to sustain the act when enacted.

Some of the stakeholders at the public hearing included officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ministry of Education, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) among others.

Student Loan Bill: Tinubu passionate about education, says minister