The Bayelsa government says it will use a yet to be determined portion of its internally generated revenue to fund the newly established Students Tertiary Education Loan Board.

Governor Seriake Dickson on Tuesday signed into law, the Bill establishing the Bayelsa State Students Tertiary Education Loan Board.

Dickson said shortly after signing the bill that the board specially designed to provide unfettered access to tertiary education in the state would be inaugurated in the next two weeks.

According to the governor, a percentage of the state’s monthly internally generated revenue would be committed by law to fund the board.

The governor explained that funding of the new board would be similar to the Bayelsa State Education Development Trust Funds.

The education fund was established by law to guarantee the arrangement for free education at the primary and secondary school levels in the state.

Dickson said that the new board was being established with a consciousness to ensure that no Bayelsa youth with the requisite qualification and intent for university or tertiary education was deprived because lack of funds.

He said: “We have also taken care of the issue of access in another way that i have not heard done in any state in this country.

“We also established the Bayelsa State Student Tertiary Education Loans Board Law. I have signed that bill into law, and in the next one or two weeks I will be setting up that board.

“And just as we dedicated 5% of the internally generated revenue of our state to the Education Development Trust Fund, the Government of Bayelsa State will also every month, allocate some amount of money that I will announce shortly to the funding of the Student loan Board.

“The whole idea is that we don’t want any Bayelsa youth, boy or girl, whatever your background may be, whatever your circumstances in life maybe.”

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