GOVERNMENT sponsored student studying in the Philippines have had their August allowances processed last month.
That’s according to the National Training Unit (NTU) within the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development.
NTU clarified this following media report that claim the students were starving because their allowances have not been paid.
“Payment of students’ allowances follow the SIG procurement regulations and compliance system and requirements,” NTU said in a statement.
“Students have been paid their allowances for the months of April, May and June.
“The allowances for the month of June was paid after the students spent their holidays in their home provinces and returned to the Philippines.
“The students have alsobeen paid their July allowances, which is sufficient enough to sustain them through to August.
“When the students returned to their various institutions in the Philippine in July (this year), they were expected to send to NTU their academic transcripts and confirmation of registration.
“This is important because it is the beginning of the trimester (2019) in the higher education institutions in the Philippines,where sponsored students are studying at so that NTU can monitor and evaluate their progress from the previous trimester and based on these make decisions on whether to terminate the scholarships of under performers.”
NTU said every SIG sponsored student is obliged to provide details of their academic transcript and registration details before NTU can pay students’ allowances as this is their new academic year for the 2019-2020 period.
“Students who do not send their transcripts and registration details are expected to have their allowances delayed.
“There are very few students who have still not registered for the first trimester.
“Nor have they sent their academic scripts to the NTU for assessment.
“These students have not been paid their allowances because they have not fulfilled the requirements.
“In the meanwhile, NTU has contacted the students concerned so that they can send in their academic transcripts and registration details.
“NTU has also received correspondence from the President of the Solomon Islands Students Association in the Philippines (SISAP) who refuted the claims made to the Island Sun by a disgruntled individual,” the statement said
The President of SISAP stated that “… the article that appeared in the Island Sun newspaper is from an individual student who tried to tarnish the understanding that the SISAP Executive have with NTU/MEHRD….on behalf of the students…..it is clearly not from our SISAP Executive…. we are mindful about how we carried out our work with your division on behalf of our fellow students.”
The president further reminded the Director NTU to advise students studying in the Philippines to “not mislead the public of any information that is not accurate.”
He also requested that disciplinary measures be taken against students that provide inaccurate information about students’ welfare to the public.
Meanwhile, NTU said its director and the Chief Scholarship Officer are currently in the Philippines.
“Amongst other things, they are expected to discuss matters relating to students’ welfare (including allowances), visas and academic matters with the institutions that host Government sponsored students.
“Parents and guardians should be rest assured that the MEHRD/NTU is taking all necessary steps to address the issues and the welfare of SIG sponsored students in the Philippines.”
