DEAR EDITOR,
This week is our last week of schooling, which is exam week. Most students are already done with their exams and a few have remaining exams till Friday. This semester is one of the most frustrating semesters for the students in the sense that all modes of study are online and it requires financial strength to travel the semester in terms of academic perspectives.
However, most students are yet to receive their allowances. As I have mentioned earlier it is our final week for this year and the allowances are not yet received. The common knowledge about the purpose of allowance is to help finance the student during the semester in terms of his or her needs and wants during the academic semester, for example, school needs like laptops, books, pens, foods, data and bus fare etc. in this sense it means that the allowances should be received second or third week of the semester so that it can be utilize throughout the semester.
However, almost half the students, especially us students of the university of the south pacific here in SI campus, did not receive our allowances up till now. This is not good because most of the students are new students and they need to buy laptops and other significant stuff to do their studies. Most of the students are sure that they are not performing well this semester because they are residing in back ways and find it difficult to come to the main campus everyday as we know the bus fare is also increased up to $5.
We don’t know what is the root cause of this. The government should prioritize the students and act upon any available opting to give students their allowances before its Christmas. Now we understand that it Is too late because the semester Is finished and it means that the allowances will not be used in academic perspectives which is very wrong because its purpose is not met. However, we are calling on the government not to make the same mistake again next year.
We students are also calling on the responsible authorities like NTU and MOFT to be responsible and welcoming to students if they walk in for enquiring or hand in documents. Many students have complained about the poor services provided by these two authorities. Many times, students are waiting many hours before they receive service. We know that the official hour for the government to open is 9 am and not 10amor 11am. Many times, the receptionists open at 11am, close at 12pm for lunch, reopen at 2pm and close early at half 3pm. Is this how to provide good services?
We are calling on you to please do your job willingly and provide students with good services they need. I remember one time I went to ask for my PR# Number at the accounting sector of NTU but to my surprise, I heard a lady working there saying ‘oketa ufala come Olowe for ask PR# nma man’’ this is totally wrong. And if you don’t like us to come where will you expect us to go. We cannot go to Low Enterprise LTD to follow up on our allowances. It is your responsibility.
We hope for a better year next year in the sense that everything will be fine in which the allowances will be on time and the staffs of both NTU and MOFT will be friendly, hospitable and helpful.
TROYSTAR BESA
UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC
HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLAND
