By Lake Zone Watch Writer
Chama Cha Mapinduzi has vowed to continue with its role of overseeing that the government increases loans being disbursed to students in higher learning institutions who possess the required qualifications.
“As we promised in the 2020/2025 Election Manifesto, we’ll continue to ensure that many students with the basic qualifications for joining higher learning institutions deserve to get loans,” a statement issued yesterday in Dodoma by the ruling party’s department of Ideology, Publicity and Training said.
Already, the government has written off the 10 per cent fine which former students used to pay for delay in repaying their loans.
Similarly, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi Chairperson, President Samia Suluhu also announced the scrapping of the six percent value retention fee which was being deducted from the salaries of former students. The measure is aimed at reducing the economic hardships the ex-students used to face.
According to the statement, the government has also increased the students’ daily living allowance from 8,500/- to 10,000/-.
“We want to inform the public that the party will continue to direct the government to allocate the money for the daily living allowances to many student beneficiaries,” the CCM statement signed by the Secretary of the Ideology, Publicity and Training, Amos Makalla, said.
The statement further said the party would continue receiving public views on how to improve disbursement of the loans to students, emphasizing that government harbours no ill intentions of removing loans as they greatly benefit many students from poor families who cannot afford to pay for higher education.