Students miss out on Help

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By SAMUEL BARIASI
PORT Moresby Technical College (Pomtech) students are calling on the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) to explain why most of them missed out on the higher education loan programme (Help).
Student representative council president Nasmi Hasifangu said about 600 students applied for Help but only 150 from only three technical trades were selected.
“We registered under the promise of Help this year, so what does the Government expect us to tell our parents now that the second semester starts next week?”
Hasifangu said if they were properly advised, they would not have depended on Help but looked for other means to settle their tuition fees.
“We are trying to take the burden off our parents’ shoulders and be responsible for our education, but now that most of our applications were rejected, what are we going to do?”
Pomtech principal Henry Wamaingu said the college was banking on Help when they registered the students but would send them home if their fees were not settled.
“The students submitted their Help forms but only a few of them were accepted and they were questioning the school’s administration but we advised them to raise their issue with DHERST,” he said.
“Help is a good initiative to help our underprivileged students so these students are frustrated that they are not receiving what has been promised to them.”
Wamaingu said the students’ fees needed to be paid immediately because the college needed money to continue operating.
Attempts to get comments from DHERST yesterday were unsuccessful.