The Federal Government has revealed that requests for leave of absence by students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ogun State, have dropped dramatically from about 3,000 yearly to zero, following the introduction of the student loan scheme.

According to the government, the development signals a positive impact of the initiative, which was designed to ease the financial burden on students in public tertiary institutions nationwide.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who stated this in Abuja at the weekend, noted that, prior to the takeoff of the scheme, thousands of students at OOU were compelled to suspend their studies yearly due to their inability to meet tuition and other academic expenses.

Alausa explained that with access to the loan facility, students can now remain in school and complete their programmes without interruption, adding that the intervention is part of broader efforts to improve access to higher education and reduce dropout rates.

He, however, described the 100 per cent reduction as encouraging, stressing that similar outcomes are expected in other beneficiary institutions as more students take advantage of the scheme.

The minister reaffirmed the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to sustaining policies that promote uninterrupted academic progression and enhance the quality of education in the country.

His words: “The Vice Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ogun State was telling somebody a few weeks ago. That text got to me. He said, ‘Every year, I have about 3,000 students applying for leave of absence’.

“It’s not as if they’re getting political appointments and taking leave of absence. So, I called and said, ‘What does leave of absence mean?’ He said those students would apply because they don’t have money to continue their education. They would apply for leave of absence to go and work and come back to school. One university about 3,000 students every year. He said, in the last two years, he’s had zero application for leave of absence.

“And it will end up to several, many more universities. We’ve had students that got admitted to study engineering, law, medicine and because they’re indigent, they can’t afford it. Today, that’s not the case again.”