NMC backs scholarship revamp

Northern Marianas College President Joaquin M. Sablan has thrown his support behind proposed overhaul of the current student financial aid and grants program by the government, citing the need to correct confusion over its administration.

He prodded lawmakers to pass the legislation under SB 12-64 pending in the Senate “so that the current state of confusion surrounding postsecondary financial assistance is eliminated.”

In his testimony presented to the Senate Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, Mr. Sablan outlined advantages of the bill which is sponsored by its chair Sen. Richardo S. Atalig.

The legislation, otherwise known as Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Act of 2000, aims to provide funding of at least $3 million to the program every year to help local students attending college here and in the U.S. mainland.

The money shall then be used strictly for scholarship, grant-in-aid and loans given to students under the administration of the NMC’s Board of Regents.

According to the NMC chief, the move recognizes the constitutional provision that places such responsibility to the college’s policy-making body while reducing bureaucratic costs of administering the program.

The $250,000 presently budgeted to operate the Scholarship Office can be converted into funds meant for the education of its recipients, said Mr. Sablan in his letter to the Senate panel.

Under the legislation, a partnership will be created between the government and the private sector through a guaranteed student loan program.

A similar proposal is currently being reviewed by HEW under a separate bill. Mr. Atalig said last week that the committee is expected to draw up a comprehensive measure containing five scholarship bills pending before them.

Among other notable provisions of the bill include:

– stable funding base of $3 million annually;

– promotion of human resource development in the CNMI through incentives to encourage financial assistance recipients to return to the islands for employment after graduation and school completion; and

– elimination of problem of students not receiving financial aid on time which usually happens because the fiscal year and academic year do not coincide.

At present, about 1,100 students are receiving the three financial aid given by the CNMI, such as the Educational Assistance Program, Teacher’s Scholarships and the academic scholars under Public Law 7-32.

But due to the serious financial difficulties confronting the Commonwealth, lawmakers and administration officials have clashed in recent months over implementation of the policy as both sides argued on how much money should be appropriated for scholars.

The Scholarship’s Office in August 1999 cut the amount of the grants and eliminated EAP for part-time NMC students in efforts to avoid huge deficit and spread the meager budget to all the recipients.