The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has warned the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) against discriminating against students of tertiary institutions due to the courses they chose to study.

CAPPA, in a statement by Zikora Ibeh, the Senior Programme Manager, Research and Policy, called on the federal government and Trustees of NELFUND to abandon plans to restrict access the loan to specific courses deemed “high demand” and “practical” to national development.

CAPPA described the planned policy as discriminatory, a clear manifestation of the increasing commercialisation of public education, and a betrayal of the Fund’s original mandate to ensure access to higher education for all, not just a privileged few.

CAPPA maintained that such revision will further marginalise students pursuing disciplines in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, perpetuating systemic inequalities in the education sector.

CAPPA argued that by tethering education to perceived economic value, the state is effectively telling the youths that learning only matters if it can be sold on the open market.

It noted that such misthinking will only fuel the growing frustration and disillusionment among young Nigerians.

CAPPA warned that such a narrow focus would undermine the role of diverse academic disciplines in fostering critical thinking, economic growth, and holistic national development.

CAPPA likened the proposed policy revision to past regressive actions, such as the removal of history from the country’s secondary school curriculum in 2009, which they said deprived generations of Nigerian students of the opportunity to interrogate and understand their past.

It cautioned that the emerging development around the student loan scheme risks undermining the teaching profession in Nigeria and will lead to a diminution in the number and morale of teachers across educational levels and what are deemed non-essential subjects