Help! Help! Help!
News that matters in Papua New Guinea
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| PNG Prime Minister James Marape briefing Institutions of Higher Learning officials on Help in UPNG on Jan 21. |
Help! Help! Help!
PORT MORESBY: Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s new Higher Education Loan Programme (Help), initiated by Prime Minister James Marape last year, is in total confusion.
As the Government struggles to ensure that Help succeed in giving bright students the opportunity to access tertiary education, the implementation hiccups must be resolved quickly and at all costs by all government officials and departments.
Education determines the country’s socio-economic progress and future because it shapes te success of the quality of PNG’s human capital.
PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below reports on Help as published by The National:
Education determines future of human capital quality, success
THE Higher Education Loan Programme (Help) is aimed at helping more youths to afford access to higher education. However, many Papua New Guineans have failed to differentiate the difference between Help and scholarships. The National’s reporter SAMUEL BARIASI looks into the works and details of Help.
EDUCATION is key to a country’s socio-economic progress. Just look at what China has achieved in just four decades – through education and technology.
From an undeveloped and poor nation, China today is recognised globally as the world’s second largest (if not the No.1) economy in the world, after the US. China’s science and technology is touted as nothing less than second best in the world.
Education is the foundation for any nation’s socio-economic progress and success because the quality of its education and students determines the quality of its human capital and leaders.
The moulding of quality human capital is not only a prerequisite for a country’s growing and progressive socio-economic success, its continuous sustainability determines the continuous pace of growth.
Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s Prime Minister James Marape had last year, three months into office as the country’s 8th premier in May, announced that his Government would introduce a tertiary or higher education loan scheme or programme (Help).
Help was announced in Parliament by Treasury Minister Ian Ling-Stuckey in his maiden Budget 2020 presentation on Nov 28.
Help is aimed at helping potentially bright students to continue with their tertiary education in Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) or public universities. Help loans are approved to help such students settle their school fees or to help ease the financial burden of their parents in settling or paying school fees.
From an undeveloped and poor nation, China today is recognised globally as the world’s second largest (if not the No.1) economy in the world, after the US. China’s science and technology is touted as nothing less than second best in the world.
Education is the foundation for any nation’s socio-economic progress and success because the quality of its education and students determines the quality of its human capital and leaders.
The moulding of quality human capital is not only a prerequisite for a country’s growing and progressive socio-economic success, its continuous sustainability determines the continuous pace of growth.
Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s Prime Minister James Marape had last year, three months into office as the country’s 8th premier in May, announced that his Government would introduce a tertiary or higher education loan scheme or programme (Help).
Help was announced in Parliament by Treasury Minister Ian Ling-Stuckey in his maiden Budget 2020 presentation on Nov 28.
Help is aimed at helping potentially bright students to continue with their tertiary education in Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) or public universities. Help loans are approved to help such students settle their school fees or to help ease the financial burden of their parents in settling or paying school fees.
Kuman … payment would be made to IHLs
The Department of Higher Education Research Science & Technology (DHERST) secretary Fr Jan Czuba revealed last month that over K200 million was allocated by the Government for Help.
DHERST Minister made an announcement at the UPNG orientation on Feb 4 that K60 million of the allocation would be given to HEIs by their registrations’ closing.
Kuman said the payment would be made to IHLs for students who wished to apply for Help.
“I will ensure Czuba distributes this money to all IHLs after registration of students are closed,” he said, adding that schools should accept students because payments would be honoured by the Government.
The Department of Higher Education Research Science & Technology (DHERST) secretary Fr Jan Czuba revealed last month that over K200 million was allocated by the Government for Help.
DHERST Minister made an announcement at the UPNG orientation on Feb 4 that K60 million of the allocation would be given to HEIs by their registrations’ closing.
Kuman said the payment would be made to IHLs for students who wished to apply for Help.
“I will ensure Czuba distributes this money to all IHLs after registration of students are closed,” he said, adding that schools should accept students because payments would be honoured by the Government.
Czuba … Help’s disbursement expected in April
DHERST secretary Fr Jan Czuba said help would be available in the second semester of this academic year.
He said students may indicate in their registrations with IHLs that they would be applying for Help and that the settlement of fees was expected on April 27.
DHERST also sent a circular to IHLs for students applying for Help to fill a declaration form that would enable them to register while waiting for Help funding.
Addressing heads of IHLs on Jan 21, Marape said all students, regardless of their GPA (grade point average), could apply for Help.
“If you can afford to pay your school fees, that’s fine, you don’t need Help. It (Help) is for students who are struggling to pay their fees,” Marape said.
He said the terms and conditions of the loan would be revealed once Help was finalised for roll out.
Furthermore, Marape said students on Tertiary Education Student Assistance Scheme (Tesas) could also apply for funding from Help.
“They (students on Tesas) can apply for the compulsory amounts required by their respective institutions, the Government will settle the Tesas component,” he added.
Czuba said only IHLs registered with DHERST with accredited programmes would be eligible to get funding from Help.
In a statement published earlier last month, Czuba said students needed to have National Identification (NID) cards and birth certificates from the PNG Civil Identity Registry as well as Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) from the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC).
“These requirements are put in place so that students can repay their loans after graduating,” he added.
National Planning and Monitoring Minister Sam Basil in Parliament on Dec 5 said that students applying for Help would be able to get their NID documents processed within 10 days.
He said that would be made possible by a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between his department and DHERST.
“There will be a live link with institutions with a turnaround time of 10 days where all students’ NID cards and birth certificates will be processed.”
To this date, there is no advice from the Government at the moment about the Tax Identification Number to be obtained from IRC.
In an interview with The National last month, Czuba said students would start repaying the loan six months after graduation.
“The ones earning below a certain amount (to be announced soon) would be excluded, but the guarantors will still be responsible to repay the loan from Help,” he said, adding that Marape explained on Jan 21 that the proposed repayment rate was 10 per cent.
“This is a new policy that we are working on.
“We will explore all the possibilities until we arrive at workable terms and conditions that suit our capabilities,” he said.
Czuba said: “The six month grace period could be adjusted too. There is an announcement out already about repaying loan after six months but we will tidy up those requirements into the course of this year.
“It (Help) is meant to be soft on Papua New Guinean students who are borrowing so that they can pay throughout the course of their lives.
“I have done my calculations. If you borrow K60,000 and once you are employed or engaged in business activities, you will be repaying about K50 to K60 per month for the rest of your life, which is more affordable.”
He said there would be an arrangement for those who would be engaged in business or the small medium enterprise sector.
Czuba said applications for Help would be done online. Help contracts would be signed by students and guarantors (parents or guardians).
In an interview with The National on Dec 5, he said DHERST would be developing a software to process tertiary students’ Help applications.
He said the purpose of the software was to avoid nepotism or “wantok system” when selecting students eligible for loans.
“This software will be similar to the online selection system so that eligible students are selected on merit and not because we know them personally or because their parents have influence,” Czuba said.
DHERST secretary Fr Jan Czuba said help would be available in the second semester of this academic year.
He said students may indicate in their registrations with IHLs that they would be applying for Help and that the settlement of fees was expected on April 27.
DHERST also sent a circular to IHLs for students applying for Help to fill a declaration form that would enable them to register while waiting for Help funding.
Addressing heads of IHLs on Jan 21, Marape said all students, regardless of their GPA (grade point average), could apply for Help.
“If you can afford to pay your school fees, that’s fine, you don’t need Help. It (Help) is for students who are struggling to pay their fees,” Marape said.
He said the terms and conditions of the loan would be revealed once Help was finalised for roll out.
Furthermore, Marape said students on Tertiary Education Student Assistance Scheme (Tesas) could also apply for funding from Help.
“They (students on Tesas) can apply for the compulsory amounts required by their respective institutions, the Government will settle the Tesas component,” he added.
Czuba said only IHLs registered with DHERST with accredited programmes would be eligible to get funding from Help.
In a statement published earlier last month, Czuba said students needed to have National Identification (NID) cards and birth certificates from the PNG Civil Identity Registry as well as Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) from the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC).
“These requirements are put in place so that students can repay their loans after graduating,” he added.
National Planning and Monitoring Minister Sam Basil in Parliament on Dec 5 said that students applying for Help would be able to get their NID documents processed within 10 days.
He said that would be made possible by a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between his department and DHERST.
“There will be a live link with institutions with a turnaround time of 10 days where all students’ NID cards and birth certificates will be processed.”
To this date, there is no advice from the Government at the moment about the Tax Identification Number to be obtained from IRC.
In an interview with The National last month, Czuba said students would start repaying the loan six months after graduation.
“The ones earning below a certain amount (to be announced soon) would be excluded, but the guarantors will still be responsible to repay the loan from Help,” he said, adding that Marape explained on Jan 21 that the proposed repayment rate was 10 per cent.
“This is a new policy that we are working on.
“We will explore all the possibilities until we arrive at workable terms and conditions that suit our capabilities,” he said.
Czuba said: “The six month grace period could be adjusted too. There is an announcement out already about repaying loan after six months but we will tidy up those requirements into the course of this year.
“It (Help) is meant to be soft on Papua New Guinean students who are borrowing so that they can pay throughout the course of their lives.“I have done my calculations. If you borrow K60,000 and once you are employed or engaged in business activities, you will be repaying about K50 to K60 per month for the rest of your life, which is more affordable.”
He said there would be an arrangement for those who would be engaged in business or the small medium enterprise sector.
Czuba said applications for Help would be done online. Help contracts would be signed by students and guarantors (parents or guardians).
In an interview with The National on Dec 5, he said DHERST would be developing a software to process tertiary students’ Help applications.
He said the purpose of the software was to avoid nepotism or “wantok system” when selecting students eligible for loans.
“This software will be similar to the online selection system so that eligible students are selected on merit and not because we know them personally or because their parents have influence,” Czuba said.
Majority agree Help initiative good for PNG
PORT Moresby General Hospital nursing officer Esther Peter says Help is a good initiative by the Government for Papua New Guineans because it will help parents who are struggling to pay their children’s school fees.
“What most parents are earning, especially in a city like Port Moresby, is not enough to provide for all their children’s education needs,” the mother of six lamented.
“What most parents are earning, especially in a city like Port Moresby, is not enough to provide for all their children’s education needs,” the mother of six lamented.
Esther … Help is a good initiative Esther’s firstborn daughter would be doing her first year in University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) this year.
“I also have project fees to pay for my other five children who are in secondary and primary schools. Therefore, paying for university fees is going to be really challenging for,” she said.
However, Esther said the deadline for registrations was fast approaching and “I am unsure whether the Help arrangement is going to work on time”.
She also admitted that she knew very little about Help and would like to know more about it.
“I want to know more about accessing Help and how best to go about applying for its loans. The school (UPNG) has given us a deadline to pay fees for our children and we need to know how we can access Help soon,” she added.
“I also have project fees to pay for my other five children who are in secondary and primary schools. Therefore, paying for university fees is going to be really challenging for,” she said.
However, Esther said the deadline for registrations was fast approaching and “I am unsure whether the Help arrangement is going to work on time”.
She also admitted that she knew very little about Help and would like to know more about it.
“I want to know more about accessing Help and how best to go about applying for its loans. The school (UPNG) has given us a deadline to pay fees for our children and we need to know how we can access Help soon,” she added.
Theresa … rejects Help because children’s future unknown
Theresa Henry, a single and unemployed mother, said she did not want her children to get Help because her children’s future was unknown. With the help of Theresa’s brother, her daughter would be doing her first year of studies in UPNG this year.
“I am not sure if my daughter is going to gain employment soon after graduation. I do not know what will happen to her. How can I pay the loan if she leaves school under an uncontrollable situation?
“My brother is helping me out with my daughter’s fees at the moment. I think it is best that we leave it at that even if it is hard.”
Theresa Henry, a single and unemployed mother, said she did not want her children to get Help because her children’s future was unknown. With the help of Theresa’s brother, her daughter would be doing her first year of studies in UPNG this year.
“I am not sure if my daughter is going to gain employment soon after graduation. I do not know what will happen to her. How can I pay the loan if she leaves school under an uncontrollable situation?
“My brother is helping me out with my daughter’s fees at the moment. I think it is best that we leave it at that even if it is hard.”
Yegiora …Help is good but implementation and timing are concerns
Divine Word University (DWU)’s PNG Studies & International Relations lecturer Bernard Yegiora says the intention of the programme (Help) is good but his concern is the implementation and timing.
“For example, DWU has the 70% policy. In order to register you have to pay 70% of school fees which is K7,000. The latest directive from DHERST secretary and DHERST minister to institutions is to let students register regardless of how much they pay.
“The question is, will the funds be released on time compared to previous years? What about set university procedures, process and policies in regards to enrolment and registration?” he asked.
Yegiora said the implementation of Help would have an effect on the procedures, processes and policies of various institutions.
“That means each institution will need to review and change. That takes time and raising financial-related issues,” he added.
“On the issue of timing, one important documentation that is needed for the loan is a NID card. Many of us applied for one last April and we are still waiting to get our card. To expect students to get NID cards in just a few weeks in order to prepare their application is a bit unrealistic.
“Does that mean that students will be given a priority in comparison to other tax payers like us?” he asked.
Divine Word University (DWU)’s PNG Studies & International Relations lecturer Bernard Yegiora says the intention of the programme (Help) is good but his concern is the implementation and timing.
“For example, DWU has the 70% policy. In order to register you have to pay 70% of school fees which is K7,000. The latest directive from DHERST secretary and DHERST minister to institutions is to let students register regardless of how much they pay.
“The question is, will the funds be released on time compared to previous years? What about set university procedures, process and policies in regards to enrolment and registration?” he asked.
Yegiora said the implementation of Help would have an effect on the procedures, processes and policies of various institutions.
“That means each institution will need to review and change. That takes time and raising financial-related issues,” he added.
“On the issue of timing, one important documentation that is needed for the loan is a NID card. Many of us applied for one last April and we are still waiting to get our card. To expect students to get NID cards in just a few weeks in order to prepare their application is a bit unrealistic.
“Does that mean that students will be given a priority in comparison to other tax payers like us?” he asked.
He said the Government should have given this year for all students to register and get a NID before implementing Help.
“The implementation or roll out the HELP programme should be done in 2021 before the National General Election in 2022.”
“There is no detail structured documentation outlining the intention of the programme, how it will be implemented, the duration of the programme and the key performance indicators,” Yegiora said.
“The implementation or roll out the HELP programme should be done in 2021 before the National General Election in 2022.”
“There is no detail structured documentation outlining the intention of the programme, how it will be implemented, the duration of the programme and the key performance indicators,” Yegiora said.
Gibbs … Help’s rollout still unclear
Divine Word University vice president Fr Phillip Gibbs says he thinks Help will be beneficial to the students, parents, and the country in general.
“I think Help will be beneficial because it is designed to assist students with financial support to complete their studies,” he said.
Divine Word University vice president Fr Phillip Gibbs says he thinks Help will be beneficial to the students, parents, and the country in general.
“I think Help will be beneficial because it is designed to assist students with financial support to complete their studies,” he said.
“ The human resources of our country is what we are trying to build. Let us not kill the dreams of the unfortunate but rather embrace them with the opportunity to rise to the top as well.”
However, he said he was concerned about how Help was going to be rolled out and administered.
“It is still very unclear,” he said.
“My advice to students and their parents is to try to and find the required school fees as they have done in the past, and when Help is functional, they can apply if they wish.
“Students in other countries utilise student loan schemes, but some feel that it constrains them once they graduate because part of their earnings go to servicing loans,” Gibbs said.
“It is still very unclear,” he said.
“My advice to students and their parents is to try to and find the required school fees as they have done in the past, and when Help is functional, they can apply if they wish.
“Students in other countries utilise student loan schemes, but some feel that it constrains them once they graduate because part of their earnings go to servicing loans,” Gibbs said.
Koloa … urges Government to create more employment opportunities
UPNG 3rd year political science student Vanua Koloa says Help is the way forward for most Papua New Guinean students who come from families struggling to pay school fees or to finance education.
He said Help would help students be responsible for their education and taking charge of their lives at an early age.
“The human resources of our country is what we are trying to build.
“Let us not kill the dreams of the unfortunate but rather embrace them with the opportunity to rise to the top as well,” he said.
Koloa accepted the idea of obtaining Help and repaying the loan but said: “The Government should also create more employment opportunities as well.”
UPNG 3rd year political science student Vanua Koloa says Help is the way forward for most Papua New Guinean students who come from families struggling to pay school fees or to finance education.
He said Help would help students be responsible for their education and taking charge of their lives at an early age.
“The human resources of our country is what we are trying to build.
“Let us not kill the dreams of the unfortunate but rather embrace them with the opportunity to rise to the top as well,” he said.
Koloa accepted the idea of obtaining Help and repaying the loan but said: “The Government should also create more employment opportunities as well.”
Mary … does not want to be in Help’s debt
UPNG 3rd year Literature and English Communications student Mary Terriette Aseari is not applying for Help because she does not want to be in debt.
She said she was planning to help her parents in the future, therefore being in debt because of Help would limit her chances of helping her parents out financially.
“I have to help my parents out by providing for my younger siblings who will be attending tertiary institutions soon, so I have to be debt-free in order to help them the way I want to,” she added.
UPNG 3rd year Literature and English Communications student Mary Terriette Aseari is not applying for Help because she does not want to be in debt.
She said she was planning to help her parents in the future, therefore being in debt because of Help would limit her chances of helping her parents out financially.
“I have to help my parents out by providing for my younger siblings who will be attending tertiary institutions soon, so I have to be debt-free in order to help them the way I want to,” she added.
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