THE Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has raised concerns over reports that some tertiary institutions are withholding tuition refunds from students who paid their fees before receiving funds through the Student Loan Scheme.
In a statement issued by the Fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, NELFUND stressed that the student loan initiative, introduced under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, was designed to improve access to higher education by removing financial barriers, not by creating additional hardship for beneficiaries.
The agency also expressed concern over what it described as arbitrary increases in tuition and other institutional charges by some schools, warning that such actions undermine the purpose of the national intervention.
According to NELFUND, it is already engaging the affected institutions and relevant authorities to ensure that students who settled their tuition fees before their loan disbursements receive the refunds they are entitled to.
The Fund also called on institutions to maintain transparent and fair fee structures that align with the objectives of the Student Loan Scheme.
NELFUND reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the interests of Nigerian students and safeguarding the credibility of the loan programme.
It maintained that institutions participating in the scheme must uphold accountability and ensure that eligible students benefit fully from the initiative without facing unnecessary financial burdens.
