President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, in Abuja, signed the Student Loan Bill into law in fulfilment of one of his campaign promises to liberalise funding of education.
A member of the Presidential Strategic Team, Dele Alake, told State House Correspondents that the bill will enable indigent students to access loans at interest-free rates.
According to Alake, who was accompanied by other members of the media team, including Tunde Rahman and Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, David Adejoh, the move was in sync with standard practice in developed climes globally and would ease access to education.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Adejoh, noted that by implication, the current scholarship board of the Federal Government will become a loan board capable of offering educational credit facilities to qualified applicants.
National President, the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, while reacting, described the loan bill as unfair between the children of the rich and the poor.
Also, the National President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Anderson Ezeibe, notice one area that will not be practicable.
