THAT was the week that was! Talk about speed – January is flashing past. That poses problems for those battling to find school fees. It can be something of a trap – those who don’t have enough ready cash to pay fees and equip their offspring for school have little choice but to borrow.
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GIVEN the outrageous interest charged by private and ad hoc loan sharks, those in this position would be well advised to at least approach any one of the established and well-known finance companies and see what’s on offer, before signing their lives away with unscrupulous confidence tricksters.
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AND once again we urge those who are looking to continue their studies and training to make sure that those organisations that sell themselves as “schools” or “training institutes” are what they claim. The first point to check – are they registered with the National Training Institute? And in the case of matriculation and upper level secondary “colleges”, are they permitted schools under Education department regulations?
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IF they are not, then avoid them at all costs because the qualifications you receive at the end of your expensive course may well be worthless.
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WE know of a PNG hotel where the management has decided to boost profits by running “training courses”. These courses are advertised as being “based on material” approved by the authorities; the “courses” are supposedly “approved by the governing council”. There’s always something new to be learned, but this is the first time we’ve come across a hotel with a “governing council”. Beware!
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THE situation is a bit like those frauds who set themselves up as the producers of herbal remedies guaranteed to cure cancer, heart attacks and even AIDS. There’s no proof whatever that the dubious potions offered can have any positive effect against these or other illnesses; yet desperate citizens spend their last few coins to buy a bottle. There’s one simple rule: No laboratory evaluation? Don’t waste your money.
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WE asked readers to let us know what they thought might be PNG’s most frequently used word. Responses are now flowing in; we’ll share some with you on Monday. Cheers!
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- Dee Nesenolis