SINU SIG students plan to protest over delayed allowance

 

SOLOMON Islands Government-sponsored students of Solomon Islands National University (SINU) are planning to march on the Prime Minister’s Office in protest over their delayed allowances.

Report reaching this paper stated that the student body will meet today at the Panatina Pavilion for further discussions and also to set the date for the proposed protest.

The build-up is caused by frustrated students who have not received their allowances since the beginning of semester one.

Speaking to this paper, a student, who wants his name withheld, said students no longer keep their frustration and that the proposed protest symbolises students’ desperation to get answers from the government on the issue surrounding their allowances.

He said SINU SIG-sponsored are disappointed why the government paid SIG sponsored students studying abroad but failed to pay allowances for those studying at SINU.

“Why did the government quick to pay the allowance of students studying abroad but fail to give us the same treatment.

“This is very disappointing because the government fail to honour what we sealed before we took our study programmes.

“We receive the same offer as our other students studying abroad,” the student said.

He said some SIG sponsored students who have no relatives in Honiara are residing in rented houses and the delay in allowances has been a massive issue for the students to keep the trust between them and their landlords.

The student said some of the students borrowed money from friends to pay their tuition fees, stationeries and other utilities hoping to make reimbursements when their allowance are ready.

He said semester one is close to its end and most SIG-sponsored students are surviving on credits and blessings.

“We are also human and human will know how human feel if such situation come against us.

“This is a bad experience and also bad example the government sets before our students studying at SINU,” the student said.

While he acknowledged that some of the students already have their allowance, he also questioned the government as to why they fail to honour the cabinet paper that was agreed and sealed before the students resumed their studies earlier this year.

The student suggested the government should divert some of the fund privileges given to members of parliaments such as the transport grant to settle the students’ allowances.

He said students’ total allowance is estimated around 23-thousand compared to 100-plus-thousand MPs normally receive per year on Transport Fund.

“We the future human resource of this country and if the government think seriously about us, such consideration can be of great impact to our studies,” the student said.

In the meantime he said students are looking forward for the protest.

He calls on parents and guardians to support the student protest.