New loans plan leaves students fuming

Dar es Salaam. Higher learning students are experiencing financial difficulties to sustain costs of living after the Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB) is reportedly to have reduced students’ accommodation and meals loans for the fourth quarter of the 2019/20 academic year.

The changes have occurred since the reopening of the Universities on June 1 whereby the students have resumed normal classes following almost a three-month suspension of academic activities due to Covid-19 fears. In March, the government temporarily suspended all academic activities in the country in efforts to curtail the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

During this fourth quarter of 2019/20 academic year, the students have been issued with accommodation and meals loans ranging from Sh175,000 to Sh391,000 per semester compared to Sh510,000 issued in previously, The Citizen understands.

The matter has triggered complaints among higher learning students in the country, appealing to the Education ministry to intervene and resolve the loans dispute. Addressing a press conference, secretary general of Tanzania students’ Networking Programme (TSNP), Mr Robert Sylivester, blamed the HESLB for a failure to communicate with the loans beneficiaries before introducing the changes.

“The issuance of loans is administered under an agreement signed between the loans beneficiaries (students) and HESLB, therefore all the conditions and terms of the agreement must be preserved. Any changes to the agreement terms should be communicated between two sides,” said Mr Sylivester.

Responding, HESLB communications officer Ms Veneranda Malima yesterday clarified that the changes were announced via Universities platforms after the government changed 2019/20 academic year schedules by reducing the number of studying days from four to three months per semester.

“It is true, some students will receive small accommodation and meals loans and other will receive big loans depending on the number of days that the student will be attending classes at the particular University,” said Ms Malima,

During the academic year 2019/20, the government allocated a sum of Sh450 billion for 132, 119 student loan beneficiaries.

Up to date, a total of Sh383.1 billion has been already disbursed for the purpose, according to HESLB executive director Abdul-Razaq Badru.

On July 20, HESLB issued a statement announcing the release of education loans to the tune of Sh66.9 billion for some 132, 119 students for the fourth quarter of the 2019/2020 academic year after President John Magufuli had announced the reopening of universities.

According to the HESLB statement, Sh44.5 billion out of the money will be issued to the students as accommodation and meals loans. While, Sh21.33 billion is for practical and Sh1.07 billion for research works.

Protesting, ACT Wazalendo Youth Wing’s deputy secretary of Ideology, Communications and Publicity, Mr Massabo Julius yesterday called upon the relevant education ministry to intervene and resolve the loans dispute.