Teritary insititutions to facilitate students whose fees will be paid by SLB

The administration of all tertiary institutions, including Teachers' Colleges, have agreed to facilitate students whose tuition fees are to be paid by the Students' Loan Bureau, (SLB).

However, this is dependent on students providing information to the institutions on the status of their loans.It was also agreed that students will not be de-registered, at this time, if they provide letters of commitment to their respective institutions or if a payment plan is set up.

The decision was made at meeting between Minister of Education, Ronald Thwaites, and the tertiary institutions, o

n Friday.  He said the SLB will also be encouraged to process pending loans as quickly as possible.

The Education Minister has established working committee to liaise with the SLB and the relevant Ministries, to ensure that the situation is rectified.

On Wednesday, Executive Director of the SLB, Monica Brown, told a committee of Parliament that the agency was facing a significant challenge in meeting the projected J$4.2 billion dollars to be disbursed to tertiary institutions.

She said the demand for student loans has increased significantly.

UWI Guidelines

In the meantime, the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus has released guidelines for students who have not communicated to the university how they will pay their tuition.

The guidelines cover several areas, including admission to exams.

In a letter to students on Friday, the administration made it clear that mid-semester examinations, which begin on Monday, will be subject to the same rules and procedures applicable to final exams.

The administration also outlined that these rules and procedures, which extend to entrance to exam rooms, will be granted only to students duly registered for respective courses, who have balances of two thousand dollars or less.

Admittance to exams rooms will also be granted to students who are  up-to-date with their payments under an approved installment plan.

The UWI administration further advised that students who have not settled their financial obligations and who have sat neither mid-semester nor their final exams for the first semester, which ends in December, will receive a failing grade for courses for which they have registered, but which they have not dropped by this Monday.                      

Students will also be liable for tuition fees for all courses selected but not dropped by Monday.  

Another headache for students is that as of Sunday, those who have not settled their financial obligations will be barred from the University's OURVLE system, which is critical for courses for which assignments and notes are uploaded.

When our News Centre contacted President of the Guild of Students, Daniel Wilson, he said he had not seen a copy of the letter and so could not comment.