A Response to an Article: Let Us Understand NELFUND Before We Criticise It | Engr Fawole Taiwo Ganiyu

• Criticism: Student loan has brought more hardship to parents – Kabiru Ojo https://phoenix-browser.com/EHofWPZ8Jlg
• CLARIFICATIONS: Political analysts who comment on policies without a complete understanding of how those policies operate can, unfortunately, do the nation more harm than good. The arguments presented in this article appear, to me, to be based more on assumptions, conclusions and imagination than on a proper understanding of how the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) actually works.

As a polytechnic lecturer and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, I have personally had to explain the benefits of NELFUND to my students several times. One major challenge I have observed is that the word “loan” itself discourages many students from applying, even when the scheme can significantly reduce the financial burden on their families.

NELFUND is designed to support students in public tertiary institutions by covering approved institutional charges according to the applicable school fee structure. In addition, eligible students receive a monthly upkeep allowance. This is an important intervention that deserves to be properly understood and appreciated.

In my view, this is one of the closest attempts we have seen in recent times to make tertiary education financially accessible to students from different economic backgrounds. It may not be perfect, and there may certainly be areas requiring improvement, but criticising the policy without understanding its actual operation is counterproductive.

Let me illustrate the problem from my own experience.

I have seen students who obtained NELFUND support and continued to collect money from their parents without telling them that their school charges had already been supported. In one particularly disturbing case, an 18-year-old student received the monthly upkeep allowance and used NELFUND money to organise a surprise birthday celebration for his girlfriend, while his parents were completely unaware of the financial support he was receiving.

The lesson here is not that NELFUND is a bad policy. Rather, it shows the importance of financial literacy, parental awareness and proper orientation of students.

There is also a misconception that students can only benefit up to a particular fixed school-fee amount. NELFUND’s institutional support is tied to the approved charges submitted by participating public institutions. Government has required institutions to provide their approved fee structures for this purpose. Therefore, the actual support should be understood within the applicable institutional fee framework rather than through assumptions or political commentary.

We must also distinguish between criticising government policy constructively and misinforming the public about a policy whose details we have not adequately investigated.

Nigeria needs social critics, analysts and journalists who will ask difficult questions. But criticism should be accompanied by research, verification and an understanding of how policies work on the ground.

As educators, we see the practical impact of these policies on students every day. We see parents struggling to pay fees. We see students who would otherwise defer their education because of financial difficulties. We also see students who, because of poor information, fail to take advantage of available interventions.

NELFUND may have shortcomings. Government may need to improve its implementation. Institutions may need to improve communication. Students must also be educated on their responsibilities.

But let us not condemn a potentially transformative intervention simply because we have failed to understand it.

Before we criticise, let us investigate. Before we conclude, let us verify. And before we influence public opinion, let us ensure that what we are saying is actually correct.

Nigeria does not need criticism that creates confusion. We need informed criticism that improves policy.

Engr. Fawole Taiwo Ganiyu, MNSE, MNIM, MNFR, COREN Reg.,
Dean, Faculty of Engineering,
Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa.