Former Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), University of Calabar, Ubong Marshal Inwang has asked the federal government to extend its Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to students in private universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria.

Inwang stated that the inability of the government to expand the program to accommodate qualified Nigerians in private higher institutions had defined the objectives for setting up the Fund.

The Australian based activist argued that it amounted to marginalisation and limits access to higher education when certain critical part of the society are deprived government incentives for attending institutions approved by the same government. He said it does not guarantee fairness.

“If we are not ready to extend this kind of gesture to private higher institutions, then what is the need for granting licence to Nigerians to operate higher institutions? It is a well known fact that we don’t have enough public higher institutions to accommodate qualified Nigerians seeking admissions yearly into them, hence the need for private interventions.

“When we allow these private persons set up and develop standard facilities enough to merit accreditation of their programmes, yet we turn back to deny our youths who gain admission into those institutions through federal government agencies certain benefits by the same government on account of being a private concern. I really don’t think it is fair” he said.

Inwang told The Guardian in an interview that Nigerians who should enjoy such gesture more, should be those in the private higher institutions because of the level of fees charged in them.

“Those in the private higher institutions should benefit more because the fees paid in them are very high. Parents often suffer to ensure they pay fees in these institutions. This is where the government should intervene, so when the student graduates, he would know that the government of the country played immense role in his education”, he added.

The activist also frowned at the continued denial of infrastructure intervention to private higher institutions by Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund). He said that fees charged in higher private institutions would remain high as much as the federal government refuses to intervene in their challenges.

He called for amendments in the acts setting up the TETfund as well as NELFUND as a way to improve greater access to education in the overall interest of the country.ju