K200mil loan scheme to ease burdens on parents

THE Government is taking a big burden off the shoulders of parents by introducing the K200 million students’ tertiary loan scheme in 2020, says Prime Minister James Marape.
He said during the Pacific Adventist University graduation at the Koiari Park campus outside Port Moresby that the student loan programme would start next year.
“No more will you pay (tertiary) school fees. As long as you have NID (national identification) and residency as a Papua New Guinean, you will get money for your school fees,” he said.
For schools, Marape said parents would pay 50 per cent of school fees from elementary to secondary, with the Government to foot the balance.
He said the money would be parked under the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) “where we will have funding easily available to assist our students pursue higher education”.
Marape said he had heard people complaining about the reduction in funding to primary and secondary schools.
“I put it back to them: Which is most burdensome? Is it high school or primary school education, or university and college education?” he said.
“I think university or college education is more burdensome. That is where we are stepping in right now.”
Marape said those who dropped out of grades 8, 10 or 12 could be absorbed by vocational schools or the small-medium business training to be made available.
“Government wants to do all of these things. But Government alone cannot do it,” he said.
“Your country needs an army of responsible citizens, who are out there making it happen for our country. I am sure I am speaking to an army of good citizens.”