By Robert Hart, Staff ReporterJAMAICAN STUDENTS at the St. Augustine, Trinidad, campus of the University of the West Indies, say they are experiencing several registration and housing problems as a result of the tardiness of the Students' Loan Bureau (SLB) in Kingston.
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, during a recent visit to the twin-island republic, assured students at a meeting of the Jamaican Students' Association of Trinidad & Tobago (JaSATT), that a team of officials, including representatives of the SLB, would visit the campus shortly, to assess their concerns.
Dwayne Grey, president of JaSATT, told The Gleaner last week that there have been several complaints about the time it took to receive loans for payment of school and boarding fees. Those delays, which sometimes led to students receiving previously approved loans near the end of the academic year, were responsible for difficulties students experience throughout the semester, he said.
"It complicates issues for us," said Mr. Grey. "Students can't register early enough and don't get full access to the necessary facilities." Citing an example, he said that the inability to complete registration prevented many Jamaican students from obtaining identification cards that are necessary for borrowing books from the campus library. Without the books, it is difficult for students to fulfil their study requirements, he said.
Grey said that without being properly registered, students were not "necessarily" allowed to sit their exams. He conceded, however, that the SLB makes requests for leniency from the UWI administration, on behalf of the students.
"The bureau provides a list of students who should receive leeway," he said, suggesting that not all students waiting on loans suffer the consequences of inadequate registration.
Prime Minister Patterson, who was in Trinidad in February to attend the 14th Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government, asked the executive of JaSATT to forward as much information as possible to the Jamaican High Commissioner in Trinidad and Tobago. This information, he said, would be sent to the government to assist in determining the composition of the team to visit the campus.
Natalie Gollab, public education officer at the bureau, told The Gleaner last week that the SLB had received correspondence from JaSATT. "We are going to be addressing the concerns in the shortest possible time," she said.
Mr. Grey said that students were having difficulties getting in touch with the bureau and were asking the SLB to send a liaison officer to Trinidad. The students said it was far too expensive to make regular calls to Jamaica to seek information on the state of loans. "It's hard to even get through once you call," Mr. Grey added.
However, Ms. Gollab said the SLB already has a liaison officer in Trinidad and Tobago. "We have an officer at each of the campuses," she said.
