Ogene Romanus Chizoba
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has introduced a new Fee Dispute section on its student loan portal, giving beneficiaries an opportunity to review the school fees displayed on their profiles and challenge any amount they believe is incorrect.
Under the new feature, students can examine the institutional fees entered for their respective programmes and raise a dispute where the amount displayed does not accurately reflect the fees payable to their institution.
Once a student raises a dispute, the institution is required to review the submission and either confirm the amount entered by the student or provide the correct fee based on its official records.
NELFUND has clarified that the fee amount ultimately confirmed by the institution will determine the school-fee loan disbursement for the student.
The development provides an additional verification layer within the student loan process, allowing students to flag discrepancies before the institutional component of their loan is disbursed.
The new Fee Dispute feature also places a greater emphasis on collaboration between students, tertiary institutions and NELFUND, with institutions playing a central role in validating the actual fees payable by beneficiaries.
For students, the process means that an incorrect fee figure displayed on the portal does not necessarily have to remain unchallenged. Beneficiaries can now formally raise a dispute through the portal for their institution to review.
The move is expected to strengthen accuracy in fee processing and help ensure that school-fee loan disbursements are based on figures confirmed by the relevant institutions.
NELFUND's latest portal enhancement further demonstrates the increasing use of digital processes in administering the student loan scheme, particularly in areas involving application verification, institutional charges and disbursement.
_FOUNTAINCARE MEDIA_
