OHE: Students tickets ready

By SALLY POKITON
UPNG journalism student
STUDENTS under the Tertiary Education Scholarship Assistance Scheme should receive their travel tickets from the office of higher education (OHE) next week.
OHE director-general Dr William Tagis said the delay in the issuing of tickets was due to the delay in the release of funds by the Department of Finance and authorising Air Niugini to issue the tickets.
“I authorised for payments to be made to Air Niugini yesterday after Finance released the funds on Monday,” he said.
“Students in other destinations can pick them up at the nearest Air Nuigini office starting next week. TESAS students in NCD can come to OHE or go to Air Niugini to collect their tickets.”
He said for new intakes, payments for their tickets were done last year so first-year students should go to their respective institutions before orientation began.
Tagis said about 10,200 students were on TESAS scholarship this year.
So far only 9,000 students’ tickets had been booked based on the listings provided by their institutions. 1,200 students’ names were yet to come from the institutions and colleges such as the Goroka Technical College.
He said institutions must submit lists of continuing students to OHE on time at the end of the year to avoid delays.
“Students should call the respective institutions to find out their continuation status. If the tickets are ready on time, and they are confirmed to continue, they should pay their own way back to the institutions and OHE will reimburse provided they are under TESAS scholarship,” Tagis said.