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Varsity students assured of taking exams
2006-01-06 09:26:24
By Joyce Mkinga
The Higher Education Students Loans Board (HESLB) yesterday allayed fears that university students whose loan applications had been approved would be barred from sitting for examinations in their respective campuses.
HESLB Executive Director Machunda Lubambula said the body had committed itself to the respective university authorities that it would in due course disburse the students fees for those whose loan application was successful.
’There is no reason for the universities to be worried of the tuition fees because they have our commitment. This is a government institution; we are definitely going to pay the money,’ confirmed Lubambula in an interview with The Guardian yesterday.
He appealed to any institution in doubt to directly invoice the board for official confirmation.
Lubambula was confident that the board had enough money to pay the institutions but had first opted to begin disbursing student’s meals and stationery allowances as the tuition fees was paid directly to the universities.
’The money is there, the only problem is with administrative issues because we need to verify the list we have here and that of the universities,’ he explained.
Already, the executive director divulged the board began paying some of the universities and by December 31, 2005 it had disbursed a total of 6.6bn/- as tuition fees to various institutions.
Some of the universities paid include Sokoine University of Agriculture, Muslim University, Tumaini University Iringa, Tumaini University Dar es Salaam, International Medical and Technological University and St Augustine University.
Others are Arusha University, Open University of Tanzania, Mt Meru University, College of Business Education, Institute of Finance Management, National Institute of Transport and Institute of Rural Development Planning.
The list also include Masoka Management Training Institute, Agha Khan University, College of Education Zanzibar, Moshi University College of Cooperative and Business Studies, St Joseph College of Engineering and Technology, Institute of Social Welfare, Institute of Adult Education and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre College.
Lubambula, however, regretted the payment for the Institute of Accountancy, Arusha, Zanzibar Education College, Social Welfare and Zanzibar University were still being processed.
For the University of Dar es Salaam and Mzumbe University Morogoro, the director explained the board was still in the process of consolidating the list of students whose loan applications had been approved.
’We need to verify the list of those we approved and those registered at the university continuing with their studies,’ he said.
The delay in the loans disbursement by HESLB had caused panic among students as some of the universities had issued a stern warning that the institutions would bar students from sitting for their examinations unless the outstanding tuition fees is settled in whole.
The practice is common with private universities where students who have not wholly paid up fees are barred from undertaking their examinations.
However, it was good news as HESLB assured that ’no one who had tendered their application in time would be barred from sitting from their examinations.’
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