Single student ID number to stop fraudulent acquisition of HESLB loans

[BabuK]

Benjamin Nkonya

Permanent Candidate Identification Number to be used by a student right from primary school all the way to higher learning institutions should be instated to stop foreigners from acquiring loans meant for citizens only.

The view was aired by the Secretary General of the Tanzania Association of Managers and Owners of Non-Government Schools and Colleges (Tamongsco) Benjamin Nkonya earlier this week in an exclusive interview with The Guardian.

In his opinion, enrollment, of foreigners by private primary and secondary schools increases the number of foreigners who unduly get loans from the Higher Education Students’ Loan Board (HESLB) upon graduation and that the Permanent Candidate Identification Number would sufficiently address the issue.

“Foreign children enrolled in private and secondary schools end up joining the country’s universities and receive loans that are entitled only to Tanzanians because HESLB’s limiting criteria such as secondary school certificates are not stringent enough,” he said.

Nkonya said the Permanent Candidate Identification Number will also allow for a student’s Continuous Assessment results to be updated in the National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA) database.

Nkonya said use of the Permanent Candidate Identification Number will also help curb forgeries of academic certificates in the application for studies and jobs.

“The system will allow employers to access academic progress instead of job seekers submitting unreliable hard copies,” he said.

Further he advised that NECTA should specify a graduate’s nationality in their education as part of measures to curb the issue.

It was recently reported that numerous foreign students are among the beneficiaries of loans issued by the Higher Education Students’ Loan Board (HESLB) which are specifically meant for citizens. Investigations by this paper revealed that students from neighbouring countries join primary and secondary schools here and then manage to get all the required documents qualifying them for the loans.

However, because among the required credentials are certified copies of the applicant’s birth certificate, their parents’ birth certificates, academic certificates, guarantor’s information and their signature, it was deduced that forgeries and corruption are the lead reasons as to why foreigners are able to acquired these loans.

In an interview with this reporter, HESLB Director of Information, Education and Communication, Cosmas Mwaisobwa acknowledged that loans do end up in the wrong hands.

“It’s true, such things happen but I don’t have actual figures of foreign students who have managed to get loans that were meant for Tanzanian students,” he admitted.

“The challenge is with the authorities that issue these documents such as birth certificates and affidavits,” he explained.
“We, as the loan board have set our requirements and if one meets them then we have no reason to deny them the loan,” said the official.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

 

[amkawewe]

Duh corruption, you are so gross and deadly.