The Federal Polytechnic Bida in Niger State has introduced special intervention fund to enable indigent students meet their registration needs, the Rector, Dr Abubakar Dzukogi has disclosed.
In an interview with North Central Trust yesterday in Minna, the Rector said the initiative was aimed at keeping students who have difficulties in meeting their financial obligation due to the loss of their sponsors in school.
Dr Dzukogi said he was alarmed when he discovered that some students cut short their academic programmes by withdrawing themselves from school because of such problem.
“We decided to investigate the trend and discovered such students did so because they could no longer afford the fees due to circumstances such as loss of parents or guardians.
“After thorough deliberation by the management, we decided that the only way out is to introduce a special intervention fund, in form of a loan, to take care of the problem,” he said.
He said chairman and members of the Polytechnic’s Governing Council were impressed by the development and not only keyed into the initiative but decided to contribute a percentage of their allowance to the fund.
According to him, since the introduction of the fund between 2015/2016, when he assumed office as the Rector, many indigent students have benefited.
He said the scheme also has put a stop to the exodus of students over their inability to pay their fees.
He said the facility was opened to returning students only, adding that benefiting students were expected to pay back, on instalment basis.
Dr Dzukogi said the school also engaged such students as resource persons whenever it was engaged to conduct a skill acquisition programme for organisations.
He said this enabled them to pay back the loan even before they finish their courses.
Dr Dzukogi explained that the Head of Department, Marketing was charged with overseeing the running of the fund, adding that benefiting student must provide a guarantor who must be a senior staff of the institution before he or she could access the facility.
