Students blamed over loan remittance delay

 

HIGHER Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB) yesterday clarified on the loans disbursement status for this academic year, attributing the delay to remit the funds to 4,527 first year students to failure by the students to submit supportive documents for payment.

Speaking to the ‘Sunday News,’ HESLB Education and Communication Manager, Mr Omega Ngole, said the first year students who did not receive loans were those who have failed to submit documents such as death certificates for the parentless or medical reports for students with disabilities. 

 

“So far we have disbursed 26.7bn/- to continuing students. For the first year students who are yet to be paid their money are those who have not presented the required documents," he said. For example, orphans are required to submit death certificates for their parents in order to be provided with loans,” explained Mr Ngole.

He said the students will get their loans immediately after submitting the required documents. Mr Ngole, however, said HESLB was still working on the appeals by first year students who missed the loans.

The HESLB Communication Manager reminded the universities that did not submit examination results of continuing students to make sure they do so as soon as possible.

 “Also we direct all universities to make sure students who will receive the disbursed funds are those with qualifications. They include those who have passed their examinations and those not expelled from the universities,” clarified Mr Ngole.

Advising students who do not sign the agreement forms, Mr Ngole said if there is any problem on loan allocations, proper channels should be followed to present their enquiries.

On Friday, the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, directed HESLB to disburse education loans to all undergraduate students in their respective banks by yesterday and cautioned that those who would not sign agreement forms risk missing the funds.

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. 

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 - whereas 21,190 first year students have been given the loans.

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 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.