BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
GOVERNMENT will only pay second-semester fees for its 2021 scholarship recipients. No refund for any privately paid semester-one fees.
This comes about due to temporary measures in the government scholarship programme for this year which will see recipients get sponsored beginning 2021 semester-two.
Recipients who had paid their fees for semester-one will not get a refund from government.
This clarification was made by Mr James Bosamata, deputy secretary to the ministry of education (MEHRD) in light of queries to the 2021 SIG Scholarship programme.
Due to covid-19, government could not process its 2021 scholarship programme last year, with applications only made available in January this year. Hence, the scheme will officially start funding at semester-two.
Speaking during the government talkback show on Sunday, Bosamata said:
To anyone paying for his or her own fee in ‘Semester One’, the government will not be able to refund it because the government will only ‘fund or refund’ what is stated in the scholarship letter advice the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD).
MEHRD Deputy Secretary (DS) Mr James Bosamata made this known after being asked if whether a student approved late on scholarship because of the process will get refund from ‘Semester One’ fees paid on their own.
“Inside a scholarship award it will mention ‘effective semester two 2021’. So anyone paying for their own fee on semester one, the government will not be able to refund it. Because the government will fund or refund what is stated in the scholarship letter,” said Bosamata.
“On your scholarship letter it will mention that your studies or scholarship commence from semester two 2021. So the government will be responsible as of that time, therefore anyone [self-sponsoring] first, the government will not refund it. It [Government] will only [pay] on the time a scholarship is effective.”
