Tabar requests for additional K40.5m

 THE Department of Treasury needs to provide an additional K40.5 million to cater for the 7413 remaining GPA qualified continuing tertiary students.

Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Malakai Tabar highlighted this during the meeting of college principals in Kokopo, East New Britain on Wednesday.

He said there were 134 secondary schools in 2015 with 23,000 students for Grade 12. 

The number of those selected under all categories was 5234 and the number that missed out was 17,766.

He said this year’s budget allocation was K28.6 million. The TESAS scholarships were awarded to, which included 4769 new intake  and 7400 continuing students with  a total of 12,169.

“I am knocking on the Treasury’s door to give me the money (K40.5m) so that we can keep all these students,” Tabar said.

He said the K28.6 million is a cut of 50 per cent compared to last year’s allocation which would accommodate an estimated 4800 students.

“Students are telling me to give me the money and they keep the scholarship. If  not there would be a mass walkout.”

He said the 2016 TESAS appropriation would only cover 100 per cent of the new intakes but would not cover the none of the 7413 continuing students. “An additional K40.513 million is needed to cater for the 7413 qualified students on AES and HECAS scholarships continuing students,” he said.

He said the increased cut-off GPA for all continuing students is 2.0 for new intakes for technical/business and teachers colleges and 2.3 for new intakes for nursing colleges and universities.

He said this was endorsed by the TESAS Committee which in the previous years was at 2.25.

“We believe the Government will be giving us K20 million first and then we will get the other K20 million in April or May. It’s important students must sponsored.”