TFF relieved parents’ burden

THE letter by Gibson Lambea Mai on Feb 20 (Don’t expect free handouts) in The National is wrong.
Look at the economic situation in PNG today, the economy is in crisis.
Everyone in Papua New Guinea needs money to survive and money isn’t free to make ends meet.
People work hard for money.
They would work from Monday to Friday or even Saturday just to have money in their pockets.
People in the villages need money to survive as well.
They work in the gardens from Monday to Saturday.
The money that they get from selling vegetables and sweet potatoes are budgeted very carefully.
The money will be spent on school fees, rice and tinned fish, noodles, salt, soap, bus fare, clothes and things they need.
The previous government lifted the burden of parents by paying students school fees. It was a relief to us parents.
We thank them for that.
In Gibson’s letter, he said parents were lazy and depended only on the government.
This isn’t true.
We never expected free handouts.
TFF (tuition fee free) rescued us from the burden.
Today, the government is paying only 63 per cent of the school fees.
But still it’s too much for the parents to meet the rest.
The government came up with the Higher Education Loan Programme (Help).
The loans are not approved yet.
The government needs to put education first.
I don’t receive free handouts.
I’m still struggling.

Lupzon Kenowai LK,
MausMahn Blo PNG