UP to one thousand and four hundred students undertaking various courses at the Solomon Islands national university (SINU) will be graduating tomorrow at Maranatha Hall, Lunga, east of Honiara.
This was revealed by the university’s finance department yesterday afternoon after most of the graduating students with fee arrears rushed in to settle their fees with the university.
The statement said, the number of graduates is expected to move up today before the graduation ceremony commences tomorrow at Maratha Hall.
The statement revealed that yesterday students with areas have tried their best to settle their outstanding fees with the university.
It stated that most of the students with arrears are SIG sponsored students from 2013 to 2014.
Its understood that during this period of time, the government has promised the students by issuing them sponsorship letters stating that it will responsible for the students fees from 2013 to 2014.
Therefore it was revealed that students, parents and sponsors have relaxed hoping that government will sponsor the students.
Not until this year that students has realized that government has never kept its promise and it causes many problems to students who will be graduating this year.
However, total number of students to miss out due to fee arrears could not be confirmed.
“But its a big number,” the finance department highlighted.
Yesterday this paper has witnessed that some students were in tears when they found they could not settle their arrears by themselves.
SINU early this week has issued a notice that students with outstanding fees will not graduate this year.
Their certificates were prepared but will not issued to them until they have settled their arrears with the university.
This will be the third group of students who will be going out with SINU stamp on their certificates since the institution has change from Solomon Islands college of Higher education (SICHE) to Solomon Islands national university (SINU) in 2013.
By LESLEY SANGA
