Concerned needy students in Malawi today met the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Technology on the students’ grievances on loan application and processing.
This follows the students’ petition that was presented in the Chamber on 3rd October, 2019 and was referred to the committee by the petitioner, Member for Nkhotakota South Blainex Kaisi.
Key issues in the petition were that the Higher Education Students Loans and Grants Board should consider having two loan application windows in an academic year, diploma students as well as students who are not fulltime students should be considered for the loan and that there should be a better assessment criteria on students eligible to receive the loan.
During the meeting, the Committee observed that the Loans and Grants Act has loose ends that need to be tightened as such there is a need to review it.
“There is a need to look closely at the Act, it’s mandate and what can be added or removed to make it better for each and every student,” Member for Nsanje North Dr. Esther Mcheka Chilenje said.
The Vice Chairperson of the committee Jacqueline Chikuta assured the concerned needy students that they’ll do all that they can to convince the Loans Board to help students coming from child headed households.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Committee was expected to meet the Higher Education Students Loans and Grants Board to clarify on the grievances presented by the concerned needy students in Malawi.
I am concerned with the use of the word “Child-headed households” as a description of penurious families. This is critically derogatory word that wouldn’t be used on public web-page like this unless u mean otherwise contrary to the literal meaning of it. Poverty shouldn’t demean one’s dignity and respect deserved because they are incapable of doing it financially up to the point of calling penurious families “child-headed”, nope.