The Provost of Harvarde College of Science and Management Studies, Obada, Abeokuta, Dr Oluwatosin Adebayo, has faulted the calls for students of private tertiary institutions to benefit from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
Speaking during a press session and campus tour on Wednesday, Adebayo made it clear that he does not support the idea of including students from private universities in the Federal Government-backed education loan scheme.
He noted that those attending private universities usually come from families who can afford high tuition fees, sometimes reaching up to N6 million annually.
“I won’t support those calling for the extension of NELFUND to students of private institutions,” Adebayo stated.
“This is because poor people won’t send their children to where the tuition is as much as N6m, especially in these private universities. Those parents are well-to-do.”
Although he is against the idea of offering education loans to students in private schools, Adebayo added that private tertiary institutions should be allowed to access infrastructural funds like the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), just like their government-owned counterparts.
“However, the government can allow private institutions, like their government-owned counterparts, to benefit from TETFund for infrastructural development,” he said.
The provost also noted that to curb possible fraud in the loan disbursement process, any financial aid should be given directly to eligible students after proper verification by their institutions.
“I will also advise that, due to the alleged corruption involved in the disbursement of the student loan, the Federal Government should pay directly to each benefitting student once the institution has confirmed the authenticity of such students,” he said.
In response to questions about a past controversy involving unapproved programmes, Adebayo addressed the issue surrounding Nursing and Law courses previously offered by the college. He said the college stopped running those courses after the matter came to light and has since taken steps to reapply for their approval.
He pointed fingers at unnamed individuals whom he described as “bad elements” for stirring up the crisis.
“All the courses currently run at the college are accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE),” he noted.
The listed accredited programmes include Accountancy, Economics and Management, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Business Administration, Crime Management, Public Administration, and Banking and Finance.
Adebayo concluded by noting that Harvarde College remains committed to improving its academic environment by investing in infrastructure, teaching equipment, and quality staffing.
