By Abass Jalloh
The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) has announced that implementation of the students loan scheme will start the coming academic year starting September 2022.
While making the disclosure yesterday at the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Deputy Minister, Sajoh Aziz-Kamara, MTHE, said the facility would only benefit students pursuing Master’s degree programmes, students on international scholarship awards to procure flight tickets and other subsistence support, all undergraduate students for humanities, and all other health provisions except for medicine, noting that these will not be included in the general grant-in-aid scheme.
In 2021, the Students' Loan Scheme Act was passed in parliament.
To implement it, the minister said, they are going to ensure that qualified candidates are in the system with a payment rate of national insurance and NCRA number, and NASSIT contributions.
The deputy minister stated that based on the existing government policy, categories that would continue to benefit from the grant-in-aid are women in sciences, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics, medicine, including children of teachers (more than 10 years of service), the forces, and recognized disabled students at an undergraduate or technical level.
Speaking about the funding, he said the scheme would cover tuition fees, accommodation, books, and equipment for the students.
“We are aware that the majority of students face financial constraints,” he said. He however noted that with the students' loan scheme, irrespective of someone's status or financial background, or geographical orientation, it is open for application. “So the students' loan scheme will create an environment of inclusive and equitable education that would be accessible,” he added.
The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Alpha Wurie, stated that while the facility would be implemented students and parents should note that higher education is “not free”. “What is expected is that every individual should fund themselves to access any layer of education,” he stated.
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