The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has alleged that the student loan set up by the Federal Government is just a plan to enrich a few individuals who owned private universities in the country.
The National President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, who was represented by his Vice, Christopher Piwuna, stated this while speaking to journalists in Bauchi on the sidelines of the award of indigent scholarship to university undergraduate students in Bauchi Zone of the union held at the ATBU, Yelwa Campus, on Saturday.
He said if the government was sincere in its intentions, the proposed student loan should be made a grant instead of a loan.
“Right from the start, we believe that the Nigerian state is capable of funding education in Nigeria. All these issues that have led to the introduction of the loan, the issues of charges in our universities, are as a result of poor funding. So, this particular effort by the government is supposed to meet that funding gap in the universities.
“The leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, I think, tried to demonstrate that, when his administration agreed to release N200 billion in 2013 as part of the NEEDS Assessment and till this day, 10 years after the release of that money, we still see what that money is doing in this system.
“Just imagine if the government takes this funding seriously. So, we are against the student loan as a form of funding education, we think the loan will go back into the cofers of private individuals who are in government today who own private universities. If the government is serious, they should make grants to institutions and students,” he stated.
Speaking earlier in his speech during the scholarship award presentation to 19 indigent students in Bauchi Zone, the ASUU National President said “we just want to show the government that we believe that the resources are available to take care of education.
“Parents are failing in their responsibilities and their responsibility is to join us to ensure that this system is better, but you fold your hands to watch us. But we want you to be part of this struggle, tell other parents. We don’t expect anything from you, all we want is for you to join hands with us to ensure that the system is better for the future.”
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Speaking to the awardees, he said: “From today, you have become ASUU Ambassadors, we expect that, on your campuses, you’ll do what ASUU does and what ASUU does is: One, we protect our members, their interests and everything that concerns them. Their relationship with their employers, their relationship within the campus and anything that will advance their welfare is what ASUU does.
