By Peter Duru, Makurdi 

The Benue State Bureau for Education Quality Assurance, BEQA, and the State owned Novus Micro Finance Bank, MFB, have introduced soft loans for private schools in the state to help them improve their facilities and standards. 

Known as the Schools Improvement Loan Scheme, SILS, the facility is open to private Nursery, Primary, Secondary and even Tartiary schools in the state. 

The Managing Director of Novus MFB, Pat Goja made this known while addressing the leadership of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, during a meeting called by the Director General of BEQA, Dr. Terna Francis, at the Bureau headquarters in Makurdi. 

Goja explained that the facility which ranged from N500,000 to N10million was a collaboration “at the instance of BEQA and it is aimed basically to improve facilities in existing private schools across the state. 

“It is a loan and not a grant and we are making it available to proprietors at a very minimal three percent interest rate per month.” 

The Managing Director who reeled out the stipulated conditions that must be met before a beneficial could qualify for the facility said, “it is open to every private school in Benue state and we are looking at a facility of between N500,000 and N10million.” 

The Director General of BEQA, who urged school proprietors to take advantage of the gesture to upgrade and improve the standard of their schools said, “this is an initiative of Governor Hyacinth Alia to help private schools in the state to improve standards, grow and develop. 

“It is a novel idea that is designed for private schools to ensure that they give quality education to our children.” 

The State Chairman of NAPPS, Mr. Sunday Ojo who commended Novus Bank and BEQA for availing his members the opportunity to access the soft loan to improve their facilities, assured that his members would not hesitate to take advantage of the facility. 

He said with over 5,000 members the facility would go a long way to positively impact education in the state. 

While thanking Governor Alia for the initiative that would help his members improve standards, quality and facilities in their respective schools, Mr. Ojo assured that members who benefit from the facility would make repayments as and when due.