Loans board on the spot for frustrating audit committee

Dar es Salaam. The Education, Science and Technology minister yesterday issued a strong warning against the Higher Education Students Loans Board (HESLB) for its failure to give appropriate cooperation to the committee he appointed to audit the past five-year performance of the institution.

The three-expert team appointed last month was tasked, among other things, to review the entire process of issuing study loans to students in the past five years.

The committee, which was to given a month to complete its task, was also required to give examine complaints raised with regards to the entire process.

Education minister Adolf Mkenda, while officially introducing the team to the Board and Management of HESLB, stated that the audit report would help in how to improve the fund’s operations.

Looking vividly angry yesterday, Prof Mkenda noted that the committee--led by Prof Allen Mushi and assisted by Dr Martin Chegere and Mr Iddi Makame--was not given the due cooperation and freedom by the HESLB.

He told journalists that some HESLB officials resorted to disrupting activities of the team while using various means to try and lobby its members from undertaking their mandate.

“We ordered this investigation to scrutinise performance in a period of five years, the goal of which is to ensure that the little (funds) we have is provided fairly to help those (students) who have the greatest need,” he said.

Prof Mkenda said they also aimed to ensure that there was no opportunity for any leader [using himself as an example] to give priority to his brothers in the disbursement of loans when a person who has no connection does not get it despite having the criteria.

“The committee has been delayed unnecessarily and HESLB has been lobbying here and there. The minister’s committee is not stopped from working by anyone [from withing the ministry). Don’t try to interfere with it. I will not hesitate to take action against HESLB if the lobbying continues. This translates that there is a motive to hide things,” noted Prof Mkenda.

He ordered the Board to let the committee continue with its work without interference because the information sought would enable the ministry to effectively deliver on its mandates.

“We want to be correct and ensure that what the government allocates goes to the targeted beneficiaries,” he said.

“So, stop this tendency of trying to disrupt activities of the committee. Be warned,” Prof Mkenda emphasized.

He said the committee reported to face several hurdles including being told to stop poking into affairs o the board contrary to the mandate given to its members by him [the minister].

Year in year out, there are many complaints from students joining or already studying in institutions of higher learning, especially after results of loan applications are released.

Some students have been noting that despite having all the qualifications to be afforded with loans, they were denied for no apparent reasons.

Despite the HESLB management providing clarification on who should access the loans and what to do, including how to apply with all the necessary documents attached, the three appointed experts were going to, among other things, scrutinse the complaints raised and propose the way forward.

Meanwhile, the government also released results of investigations over exam scam that happened at Chalinze Modern Islamic Pre-Primary and Primary School, whereby the school was found to have tempered with the exam process by malitiously exchanging students’ index numbers in the primary school leaving examination.

Prof Mkenda revealed yesterday that seven students at the centre had their exam numbers exchanged fraudulently.

This comes after a video clip that went viral on October 13, 2022 showing candidate Iptisam Suleiman Slim explaining that her index number was changed during the Primary Education Leaving Examinations (PSLE) held on October 5 and October 6, 2022.

Prof Mkenda noted that the National Examinations Council’s (Necta) investigation found that a total of seven candidates had their exam numbers changed at the Chalinze centre.

“According to section 4(8) of the 2016 examination regulations, Chalinze Modern Islamic pre-Primary and Primary School is closed as an examination centre for an indefinite period,” he directed.