The National Coordinator of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) Akintunde Sawyerr is urging communities in the South East to intensify awareness among their youths about the federal government’s student loan scheme.
He spoke during a two-day sensitisation exercise in Enugu State.
It was an insightful moment having community Heads, Traditional Rulers, Members of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund NELFUND and ENUGU state government to discuss academic development of Nigerian Youths.
Available statistics revealed that South Eastern Region records the lowest numbers of students applying for the NELFUND programme.
At a two-day public sensitisation workshop, 30 Tertiary Institutions’ representatives with traditional institutions in Enugu state were encouraged to be ambassadors that will drive the enrollment Advocacy to the grassroots.
The National Coordinator of the loan scheme lamented the low participation of Students from the South East, challenging the participants to lead the advocacy at the community levels.
Participants at the workshop openly narrated the concerns that necessitated the decline in their wards enrollment.
Representative of the state government advised parents and community Heads not to shy away from sensitising their students to apply for the funds.
A recent survey from NELFUND indicates that only 27,098 students benefited from the loan in the Southeast and 37,180 from the South south.
The Northwest has the highest figure of beneficiaries with 157,831 students, followed by the Northeast with 127,058 and Southwest with 92,850. Northcentral has 74,120 beneficiaries.
The two way Federal government assisted funds that covers Education and Skill Acquisition programme also supports the beneficiaries with N20,000 monthly upkeep.
The repayment of the interest-free loan by the student will commence two years after completion of youth service, provided the student has a job or his earning income.
