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The banks have not released conclusive data to show what the current de- fault rate is like.

Student leaders, meanwhile, say they are pleased the government will begin administering the loan program rather than the banks.

But they quickly add, however, that the lack of concrete numbers on the program is problematic.

"From our standpoint the lack of information on this only shows the lack of trans- parency in the student loan program," said Michael Conlon, national chairper- son of the Canadian Federa- tion of Students.

He said neither the banks nor the government have provided concrete fig- ures on the cost of adminis- tering the student loan pro- gram or how much is being put up annually to finance the loans.

All of these figures til 1995 when the student loan program was given to the banks to administer.

Now it isn't known if

the numbers aren't there is because it went to the got rid of the people who administered the program,” said Conlon.

_The CFS. leader, however, did tell CUP that HRDC officials had told him at meetings this school year that the loan system cost $1-billion to administer.