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HESLB asks SAUT authorities to allow students write exams
2008-01-25 08:49:42
By Njonanje Samwel
The Higher Education Students Loan Board (HESLB) has asked the management of St Augustine University (SAUT) in Mwanza to stop barring students who have not paid their fees from sitting for examinations.
The University has threatened to bar students who have not settled their fees from sitting for annual examinations.
HESLB Director, George Nyatega said during an interview with `The Guardian` on Wednesday that SAUT decision is unfair because the varsity\'s management failed to submit special forms that would enable the board process payments for the students.
Nyatega said HESLB received the forms for the payments of Second and Third Year students on January 9, this year, which is a very short duration to prepare bank cheques.
He therefore asked university authorities to allow the students sit for their examinations.
``There is no need to bar the students from sitting for their examinations as the board is working on the loan applications,`` he said.
As soon as it receives the forms, HESLB usually scrutinises every submited application from universities before making any payment.
``Scrutinising applications requires time to identify those who are liable and who are not,`` said Nyatega.
He however said that, there has been a growing tendency by some higher learning institutions to delay submission of application forms which has been a source of misunderstandings between students and the managements of respective institutions.
``The tendency has led to blames from the students who see HESLB as the cause of all problems in the funding scheme,`` he noted.
He advised students to go beyond and find out who actually deserves blame for the problem.
The HESLB intervention follows complaints by 1,500 students from St Augustine University that the varsity\'s management had threatened to bar them from sitting for their examinations.
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