Students hail Loans Board

Some students who are benefiting from the Higher Education Students’ Loans and Grants Board loan facilities have commended the board for the increase in the number of beneficiaries this year.

They said this on Wednesday when the board engaged students at University of Malawi in Zomba.

In an interview, one of the students, Deborah Mahilasi, 17, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theology said the board’s move will ensure that more needy students acquire tertiary education.

She said: “I am one of the vulnerable students, which means if the Loans Board was not there, I would not manage to pay university fees, let alone meet my daily needs.”

Mahilasi, who is a person with physical disability, said when she learnt that she was selected to Unima, she curtailed her happiness because she was worried about school fees.

The Loans Board’s communications manager Millie Kasunda said the recent increase of the number of beneficiaries is in line with their mandate to provide loans to as many needy and deserving students, especially those with physical disabilities.

“Needy students with disabilities just like any other needy students do qualify for a student loan; hence, the board is providing loans to almost all of students with disabilities,” she said

So far, Kasunda said for the past two months, the average loan repayment per month stands at K50 million which she said is still not enough as the board requires about K22 billion to disburse students tuition and up-keep loans this year.