Dr. Abubakar Yahaya said the students loan scheme has not started yet which explains why…
HOD. Political science department FUD Dr. Abubakar Yahaya.
By Ali Rabiu Ali Gwaram, Dutse
Academic activities have resumed at Federal University Dutse, Jigawa state after long Sallah break but the students find it difficult to settle tuition fees.
Some students manage to return to the school amidst economic hardship in the country. Many of the them said financial assistance like Scholarships, grants, or support from local organizations or individuals can help students cover school fees and expenses. Often times families, friends, and community members provide financial and emotional support, food, or other necessities to their loved ones pursuing various courses at the university., Government initiatives such as student loan may inspire, strength and motivate students from poor backgrounds to continue pursuit of education despite challenges.
The Federal University Dutse is a university in Jigawa State was created in 2011 and in no time students population in the University increased significantly.
Though the federal Government has announced reintroduction of students loan schemes to support Nigerian students pursuing higher education, some students here said they have not seen the loan made available to them.
The students loan fund seek to Provide loans to students in tertiary institutions to cover tuition fees and living expenses,
But the eligibility criteria for the federal government student loans includes; the student must be a Nigerian citizen, he must be under the age of 40, the student must have a valid admission letter from a recognized institution, he must have a good academic record, the student must have a guarantor who is a civil servant or a member of the organized private sector, the student’s family income must not be less than N500,000 per annum, and finally the student must demonstrate a financial need for the loan.
And the repayment terms for the student Loan begins two years after the completion of the NYSC program, the beneficiary shall remit 10% of their income to the fund at the end of every month.
Bashir Ahmad Baba, a level 400 student in the department of political science, said he finds it difficult to settle tuition fees in recent times.
According to him, he struggled to return to the university 4 weeks after resumption due to economic hardship.
He said many students are still at home because they the resources to return noting however that this will affect their academic performance as lectures have started three weeks back.
He called on the government to do the needful by addressing the socio- economic challenges.
Maisango Gideon a fresh student in the department of sociology of the University, said it was not easy for his parent to raised money and pay for his tuition and basic needs before he returned to the school.
He said understand the Enormity of the responsibility his parents were undertaking to send him to school by all means.
Gideon said some of his friends dropped out of school as they cannot afford to pay the registration fees of about one hundred and eighteen thousand naira for fresh students.
He said he tried to see that students loan is secured for him but faced many hurdles and eventually dropped the idea.
Head of the political science department Dutse (FUD) Dr. Abubakar Yahaya said economic situation in the country is one of the factors that led the students to report late after resumption of academic activities.
The HOD said registration is prerequisite as last session the Jigawa state government had to clear outstanding payment of about 40 percent for some students who tried their best with 60 percent payment as agreed by the university’s authority.
Dr. Abubakar Yahaya said the students loan scheme has not started yet which explains why many students are still at home.
The palliatives that the federal and state government have given out, the HOD said should have been used to address the students plight.
Yahaya said it is the responsibilities of the government to provide social services for the people toward the provision of educational facilities.
He also advised the students to try their best in their academic performance despite the challenges they are facing including social media influence which he said affecting students performances.
He said government should consider the predicament of the students regarding the registration fees of over a hundred thousand naira noting that during their time, registration was just around Nine thousand naira only (9000).
The HOD then called on the government at all level to address the challenges in every sector.
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