Academics in Nigeria have warned the Federal Government not to toy with the idea of raising tuition fees while claiming to have set up a Student Loan Scheme to help students finance their education.
This comes as lecturers expressed concerns about the scheme’s viability, citing the condition that beneficiaries begin repaying two years after completing the National Youth Service Corporation, NYSC, and the difficulties graduates face in finding jobs after graduation.
Failure to repay the loan or assisting in default carries a N500,000 fine, two years in prison, or both. The Federal Government announced on Wednesday that the scheme will begin in September of this year.
Speaking on the workability of the law, especially given the high unemployment rate in Nigeria, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) said the foundation for the scheme to fail has already been laid. They opined that when repayment becomes impossible, the fund will simply dry up.
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, noted, “It is a subtle hike in tuition fees in tertiary institutions. If someone cannot afford the fee, he or she would be asked to go and take the student 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. We are not in support of any move to raise fees.
“The union will react appropriately soon, but Nigerians know our stance on the scheme. It may not ultimately benefit the children of the poor, and even if it does, it will just put a burden on them. Let the cost of governance be reduced and frivolous contracts and spending be done away with, and we will have more funds for social services like education and others.”
According to 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. The unemployment rate in Nigeria, which I learned is over 30%, is one of the highest, and under such conditions, the scheme won’t be sustainable. It is a funny way of introducing tuition fees and taking away education from the children of the poor that they claim to support.
“It is like the proponents of the law don’t live in Nigeria. Let them take a look at the situation at hand and do something that will reflect the realities we are facing as a country. Who is deceiving whom?
“If beneficiaries don’t secure employment after graduation and you expect them to begin repayment, the scheme will crash. Officially, tuition is free, but institutions have hiked service charges like acceptance fees, ID card fees, and hostel fees, among others. A student who complained of an inability to pay would just be asked to go seek a student loan.
“The government should just convene a meeting of stakeholders and experts, and people will chip in ideas on how to fund education and even free funds from frivolous sectors.”