K720,000 set aside for fee subsidy

By KELVIN JOE
THE Western government has allocated K720,000 to subsidise fees for students attending tertiary institutions in the country, Governor Taboi Yoto says.
Yoto said this during a meeting with students from Western at Parliament on Friday.
He presented cheques to students attending institutions in the National Capital District (NCD) in the presence of his deputy governor, provincial administer, North, South and Middle Fly MPs.
“We have a school fee assistance scheme but, financially, it is very tough as our budget depends on how much we collect in a year,” he said.
Cheques for K50,000 were presented to Western student leaders from Port Moresby Technical College, Sacred Heart Teachers College and Pacific Adventist University while students from University of Papua New Guinea received K60,000.
Yoto said as soon as funds were available, they would subsidise fees for students at Port Moresby Business College, Institute of Business Studies (IBS), Legal Training Institute, Institute of Public Administration and other tertiary institutions in the country.
“Unfortunately, the money is not enough but we hope that schools will keep our students on campus,” he said.
“Some students might miss out from this payment but we have already raised K1 million to cater for them later.”
Yoto said the cheques for other institutions in the country were ready for delivery by Western government officers.
UPNG third-year economics student Bethuel Kritus thanked Yoto and the provincial government on behalf of students saying the school fee subsidy initiative was greatly appreciated by the students.