UNICAL refunds NELFUND payments to 1,089 students

The University of Calabar (UNICAL) has refunded tuition payments made by 1,089 students through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme, with another 2,090 applications currently awaiting processing.

The institution’s NELFUND Desk Officer, Dr. Elizabeth Effiwatt, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Calabar on Friday.

According to Effiwatt, the refunds have been completed in nine batches, reflecting the university’s commitment to promptly returning payments to eligible students whose tuition fees were covered under the NELFUND programme.

She also revealed that the university recently introduced an automated portal to streamline the refund process. Through the new system, 2,090 additional student applications have been received and are currently awaiting payment.

Effiwatt assured students and stakeholders that the university remains dedicated to maintaining transparency, accountability, and efficiency in handling all NELFUND disbursements and refund processes.

She said, “The University of Calabar has completed nine batches of manual refunds to 1,089 students. It is wrong for anyone to say UNICAL has not refunded. We are refunding, and the process is ongoing.”

Effiwatt highlighted the major refunds made by the institution and debunked allegations linking the University of Calabar with institutions that have failed to refund students whose tuition fees were paid under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme, stressing that UNICAL has disbursed refunds to beneficiaries.

“Let me also take us through the number of refunds the University of Calabar has made. We have done 9 batches of refunds. Batch 1 was for 198 students. The second batch was for 104 students. We did the third batch for 106 students. Fourth refund for 105 students and then balance of 1 and 2 glitch for 168 students, batch Five was for 26 Students and batch six was 141 students, batch 7 for 99 students, batch 8 for 62 students, and then we did batch 9 which was for 80 students”, she explained.

Effiwatt, however, commended President Bola Tinubu and the Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, for the initiative in supporting tertiary institutions across the country.

The Director of ICT at the institution, Dr Eyo Essien, explained that the NELFUND policy provides for refunds to students who paid school fees before disbursement was made, stressing that UNICAL had launched an ICT platform aimed at upgrading its payment system to allow students to apply for tuition payments and refunds electronically.

He said the surge in applications was due to UNICAL’s new digital refund system, which has replaced the old manual process, adding that 2,090 students had applied for refunds through the new automated portal in less than a month. He also pointed out that processing was, however, temporarily paused to reconcile records.

“We have about 2,090 students who have applied for refund in less than a month. It is because of this automation. We have moved from the manual method of payment to digital. That is why it is easy for them to go through their portal on their own and apply without stress. Payment for the next phase was paused to reconcile records. Very soon, they will smile”, he said.

Essien explained that students no longer need to visit any office or pay anyone to process refunds, adding that the innovation makes UNICAL one of the first institutions in the country to deploy such a system.

“They don’t need to go anywhere. They don’t pay money to anybody. They just sit with their phone and do the application for a refund. In fact, they can see their balance on the dashboard.

“There are many schools. I don’t think there is any school or institution in Nigeria that has done what UNICAL has done. This innovation is seamless, no stress. The students can use it either to pay fees or to seek a refund”, he added

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