Deserving students promised loans

The Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, has tasked the Higher Education Student Loans Board (HESLB) to disburse education loans to all undergraduate students in their respective bank accounts and those who do not sign the agreement forms risk missing them.

Prof Ndalichako issued the directive in her loans status report to the National Assembly in Dodoma yesterday. She assured continuing undergraduate students that their loans are intact and would be availed to them today.

She said the ministry has reimbursed 71bn/- to the higher learning institutions in the past week saying failure by students to sign the agreement forms delayed the process hence the failure to remit them on time.

Prof Ndalichako said 483bn/- has been set aside this financial year for higher learning students education loans which will be shared among 93,295 continuing individuals and 25,717 fresh undergraduates.

“As of November 2 , this year, out of 58,010 students admitted by Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU), 21,190 first year students have been given the loans, of which 4,321 are parentless,” she told the National Assembly.

Moreover, she said, the delay in remitting the loans was also caused by some universities which have not submitted the final students results to HESLB so they will only pay those who have passed their exams.

She cited the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) go slow where some students have been mobilising others not to sign the agreement forms, insisting that failure to sign the loan contract is likely to culminate in them missing their loans.

Prof Ndalichako said there is a number of challenges in loan issuing arising from the admission system technicalities whereas, TCU coordinates the admission system and the Higher Learning Institutions senates have a final say in the universities resulting in numerous calls for admission at different dates.

She said the government is charting new modalities to review the admission system in the higher learning institutions. This includes the process of allocation and loans repayment module which should come up with the best strategy.

“The task will be completed at the earliest so that the proposal which will come up with a best system for improved efficiency can be accommodated when preparing the 2017/18 budget,” Prof Ndalichako said.

She expressed the government’s commitment to issue loans for the needy students and that all first year undergraduate students who believe they qualify for loans but have not been granted, can lodge an appeal with the board so that they can be lined up for fresh testing and get the respective loans.

Prof Ndalichako asked the students to ensure they give correct data as the government is verifying all documents tendered in their loans application forms and those who forged will be cancelled from the list.

Source:DailyNews