K157,000 tuition relief for Usino-Bundi students in Lae

The Usino-Bundi District Development Authority [DDA] has commenced the nationwide rollout of its K1.5 million Tuition Assistance Program, presenting over K157,000 to tertiary students in Lae last week.

The rollout, which initially began in the Eastern Highlands, aims to support 309 tertiary students from the district who are studying at various higher education institutions across the country.

Usino-Bundi MP and DDA Chairman Vincent Kumura presented a total of K157,549.60 to five tertiary institutions in Morobe Province to cover the tuition fees of 45 components components students.

According to the DDA, the Lae allocation was distributed as follows: K36,208 for seven students at the International Training Institute [ITI]; K27,000 for seven students at Datec Learning Centers; K23,918 for six students at the National Polytechnic Institute of PNG [NPIPNG]; K18,423 for eight students at Balob Teachers College; and K52,000.60 for 17 students attending the PNG University of Technology [Unitech].

Mr Kumura urged the beneficiaries to take their studies seriously, noting that the subsidy was intended to alleviate the financial burden on their parents.

"This program is to give you a chance to afford studying, and I find it as a moral duty to invest in your education," the MP said.

He said district-level interventions were crucial to achieving the National Government’s overarching development goals for the education sector.

"The government talks about how every citizen must be educated, but it is programs like this that will help accomplish this concept," Kumara said.

The DDA delegation has departed Morobe for other provinces to continue the verification and payment rollout for Usino-Bundi students nationwide.