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Relief to jobless former CNMI scholars
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Posted on Sep 07 2008
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial on Friday signed into law a bill that would offer loan payment relief to jobless former scholars of the CNMI government.
The new Commonwealth law holds off college loan payments for scholars who are unemployed because there are no government jobs available or because positions they have applied for are filled by foreign workers.
The new law grants forbearance to any off-island scholar during the first two years after graduation if he cannot find a job in his field of study. The scholar will not be charged interest during the period of forbearance.
Also under the new law, government scholars who have served in the military will no longer be required to return and work in the CNMI for a set period of time. They will be considered to have satisfied that requirement.
“[The] Legislature is cognizant that in times of fiscal austerity, reduction in force or because of the government reliance on foreign national workers, employment in the private or public sector may be unattainable or unavailable to returning students,” the measure states the basis for its passage.
The CNMI Scholarship Office has opposed the measure, saying it unnecessary and unfair to other scholars who have repaid their students loans. Scholarship administrator Merissa Rasa noted that there is already a process in place for granting forbearance to scholarship or loan recipients who are unable to repay the CNMI government due to some hardship.
Rasa said the Scholarship Office is already struggling to hold scholarship and loan recipients accountable for their obligations to return to the CNMI to work and or pay back what they owe. The legislation, she added, would weaken the scholarship program even more.
Former government scholars now owe the Scholarship Office about $4 million.
