Government-funded Solomon Islands students, studying at the Divine Word University (DWU) in Madang, Papua New Guinea have issued a seven days ultimatum to their sponsor as a result of non-payment of allowances.
A statement from the DWU Solomon Islands students association (SISA) yesterday said failure by the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) will result in the students staging a protest and boycott all their classes.
“This serves as an ultimatum to the SIG to seriously and immediately settle our allowances within seven (7) days.”
The ultimatum starts next week Monday and will lapse in seven days’ at the end of the week.
The students have been frustrated because they are now in four weeks of lectures but they have received nothing.
“The government should not ignore our calls as it has a financial obligation to settle our allowance in due process”
Students said the delay has been so long with conflicting responses from both the ministry of finance and treasury and the Solomon Islands High Commission office in Port Moresby.
Finance ministry earlier said the payments have been raised. But the High Commission office in Port Moresby responded they are still working closely with National Training Unit (NTU) on possibilities to sort out the students allowance.
“Several attempts to get further clarification from high commission office why the delays of the allowance remain futile,” the students said.
“The delay has badly affected our learning. This is a serious matter that needs to be immediately addressed because students have been affected for the last four weeks.
“We call on the Solomon Islands Government to responsibly facilitate our allowance sooner the better for us to meet our important needs and such as stationeries to use in class” SISA said
Other students at UNITEC, UNPNG, Goroka, Vundal, and Waigani are also waiting for their allowances as well.
Subsequently, the government funded students at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji, Vanuatu are reportedly facing the same allowance dilemma.
Meanwhile the DWU students applauded the Government for making the first semester allowance available for them.