‘User-pay’ scholarship scheme awaits final nod

Lae News, Normal

PARENTS and students in Morobe province are advised that the 50% assistance policy of the Gerson-Solulu scholarship has not yet been approved for implementation.
Gerson-Solulu scholarship officer, Robert Ayang, said the policy must be approved by the administrator before it is implemented and therefore, parents and students should not listen to any word on the streets regarding the policy.
“The policy is not yet approved and I will not comment on it but I advise parents and students not to listen to lies people are coming up with in regard to the policy,” Mr Ayang said yesterday.
He said “the decision is that of Morobe Governor Luther Wenge who has the final say whether to implement the policy or not.”
Mr Ayang said the aim of introducing the policy was to make scholarship recipients feel responsible and work hard in school.
He said it was also anticipated that parents would  at least take ownership and share the responsibility for their children’s education and not rely solely on the provincial government.
However, he reiterated that the policy would not be effective until the administrator and the governor agreed to it.
In the meantime, the Morobe students under the scholarship held a meeting yesterday to address the 50% assistance policy.
It is understood that the students disagreed with the policy, saying that it would go against the provincial government’s policy of educating its human resources, if approved.
They agreed to present a petition to the  Governor Luther Wenge asking for the removal of the policy and allow the provincial government to pay the full fees like it used to.