Students assured fees will be paid

TERTIARY students awarded Morobe Gerson Solulu scholarships are waiting for the province to pay their full school fees for this year.
A group of them discussed last Friday with provincial administration officials the outstanding payments for the first and second semesters.
Morobe Tertiary Students Union president Albert Nigo said the students received a positive feedback from the deputy administrator Social Services Robin Bazzinuc.
“Students with outstanding payments will sit for their exams. Others such as University of Papua New Guinea have already done their exams and are in the province,” he said. University of Technology Morobe Students’ Union president Junior Barok said 22 institutions were covered in the scholarship scheme but 16 of them had not been paid fees for the second semester.
“The institutions which have received full payments include Balob Teachers’ College, Sonoma Nursing College, University of Goroka, National Polytechnic Institute, Braun Nursing College
and Kokopo Business College,” he said.
“Others have not received their payments. Therefore the meeting was held to request the administration to fast-track the payments.”
Bazzinuc told ythe students the provincial government did not have the funds to pay the fees but there were options to make sure students completed their studies.
“All excess payments in institutions over the years will be used to offset the outstanding payments.
“Students leaders from each institution must confirm the number of students before November so that the administration is aware of student registration and to allow for proper budgeting next year,” he said.
Bazzinuc said students should sit for their exams as the institutions had already been guaranteed full payment of fees.