Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has announced that students applying for loans through the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) will no longer be required to present proof of fee payment during examinations.
The institution’s rector, Sylvester Omoruyi, made this known during a sensitization program organized by NELFUND at the polytechnic’s main campus in Usen.
Omoruyi assured students that enforcement of fee payment checks during exams had been abolished, stating that those registered on the NELFUND portal would not be barred from writing exams due to outstanding fees.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for initiating the loan scheme and acknowledged the Edo State government’s support.
He also praised NELFUND’s role in alleviating financial burdens by covering tuition and providing upkeep allowances.
Meanwhile, NELFUND’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Akintunde Sawyerr, represented by the Director of Loan Allocation and Distribution, Lami Suwaid, raised concerns over the polytechnic’s delay in submitting student data for the loan scheme.
He urged the institution to take advantage of the new registration cycle for the 2024/2025 academic session to ensure mass student enrollment.
Sawyerr noted that while NELFUND had successfully enrolled 259 institutions and disbursed billions of naira during the 2023/2024 session, institutions in the South-South and South-East regions recorded the lowest registration rates, calling for improvement.
Edo State’s Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to collaborating with NELFUND to expand the scheme’s reach, ensuring every Edo child has access to education.
He emphasized that with this intervention, students would no longer need financial support from relatives abroad to continue their studies.
Oboh Victor, a Business Administration student at the polytechnic, expressed enthusiasm about the initiative, highlighting the eagerness of many students to utilize the loan scheme to pursue their education without financial barriers.
