UOG students question reduced HELP loan allocations

University of Goroka students are demanding answers from the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) over HELP loan payments that fall short of the amounts they applied for.

University of Goroka Student Representative Council (SRC) President Justin Muna and students presented a petition to DHERST yesterday, raising concerns over reduced loan payments and whether the funds would adequately cover their education costs.

The Higher Education Loan Programe (HELP) is a government initiative designed to ease the cost of tertiary education by providing financial assistance to students.

The student leader raised concerns over discrepancies between the loan amounts students expected to receive and the payments reflected in DHERST’s records.

“The amounts students received did not match what they applied for, or the amounts shown in online records after vetting,” he said.

Muna added that while online records showed some students were expected to receive up to eight thousand kina, a few received as little as fifty-three kina, raising concerns over discrepancies between the approved loan amounts and actual payments.

The SRC president revealed that HELP loans were approved for one thousand six hundred and forty-two students, with a total of about Seven million kina expected to be disbursed. However, he raised concerns that the amount reflected in DHERST’s payment list was significantly lower.

“We were not satisfied with the further verbal explanations provided by DHERST officials, prompting us to submit a petition through the university’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic to demand clear answers and warn of further action if our concerns remain unresolved,” Muna said.

The UOG students have requested a response from DHERST by October 15, as stated in their petition.