Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the federal government to extend the Student Loan Scheme to include students enrolled in private universities.
He made this call during the inauguration of the Asiwaju Onafowokan, Coleman Wires and Cables building at Bells University’s College of Postgraduate Studies in Ota, Ogun State.
“The Vice Chancellor has spoken about the need to include students in private universities as beneficiaries of the Student Loan Scheme. I urge the government to listen to that and take heed to include them too. I doubt if the scheme will be run without corruption, that is another matter entirely”.
Addressing the audience, Obasanjo, who is also the proprietor of Bells University of Technology, emphasized the importance of inclusivity in the government’s educational initiatives.
“That is how they excluded students in private universities from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the recent decision to exclude them from the student’s loan scheme is unfair. These decisions were out of touch with the current realities of the society and the expectations of the people.
“Many parents struggle to keep their children enrolled in schools, whether public or private, due to the economic downturn in the country,” he said.
It was reported that he stressed that the Student Loan Scheme is a vital tool for societal development and citizen welfare, and excluding students from private universities would be counterproductive.
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