Candidates vow to restore aid for part-time students

Gubernatorial candidates to yesterday’s forum organized by the Association of Students of the Northern Marianas College vowed to act on the reinstatement of scholarships that, for the past year, has denied NMC part-time students financial assistance to advance their education.

Working students particularly those with families to raise expressed concerns that the termination of financial aid for part-time students has put them in a very difficult position.

“A lot of local individuals really want to come back to NMC although they have to put their jobs on top of their priority in order to support their families and pay for bills, food, and shelter,” aired an NMC student.

Student Council president Christine Fidelino, married and a mother of four, also echoed the same concerns.

“I work, I go to school, and I also take care of my family. Other working people would also like to return to school but they don’t have the funds for it since they have to support their families first. So I would really like to see the next administration focus on scholarships,” said the student leader.

Students are then calling for a change in scholarship policies that would make room for struggling individuals interested to secure a college degree.

Lt. Governor Jesus R. Sablan assured NMC students of his plans to institute a financial assistance system that would support both part-time and full-time students at CNMI’s lone college.

He proposed of developing a policy that would assist part-timers in the same way that the Scholarship Office provides for full-time students.

“We need to establish the most equitable way to address the issue by providing financial assistance to part time students based on credit they are taking for a certain semester,” said Mr. Sablan.

Meanwhile, the Juan N. Babauta and Diego T. Benavente tandem also revealed plans to uplift the scholarships system in the Northern Marianas.

“We are concerned with education as whole, whether it be the need for more classroom teachers or scholarship programs,” said Mr. Benavente, as the congressman along with his partner, the Washington representative, asked students for support this coming elections yesterday.

CNMI’s lone postsecondary education this semester surprisingly recorded an increase in full-time student enrollment despite the CNMI Scholarship Office’s decision to terminate financial aids to part-time students.

Director of Office of Admissions Records and Financial Aid Janice Tenorio said that 85 percent out of the 934 total student head count for the fall semester comprise the full time equivalents.

“This is a very positive thing because the more students enroll on a full time basis, the earlier they will get their degrees. And this way, they can land good jobs early and earn,” said Ms. Tenorio.

Official registration figures have listed 9,556 total credits being taken by NMC students all over Saipan, Rota, and Tinian.

The current semester’s student enrollment is already 60 percent of the 1,600 average number of students NMC usually registers per academic year.