Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 12, 2016 News
A forensic audit into the University of Guyana’s Student Loan Agency (SLA) has revealed that from the year 1994 to May 2015, some 17,567 or 69.4% of 25,335 student loans were deemed delinquent because students were not honouring their indebtedness.
Recent report also indicated that during that same period, the Government of the day – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had approved $9,489,453,973 through the National Budget or US$45.5M using the current rate of exchange of G$210 to US$1.
During the period – April 2011 to December 2014, $1,800,000,000 (US$8,571,429) was received through a process whereby the Agency Head is informed by the Budget Department that funds have been approved to be released to the Agency.
Loans issued during the audit period (academic years 2011-2012 to 2014-2015) amounted to $1,581,422,277 of which $1,432,669,005 was issued to students at Turkeyen Campus and $148,753,272 was issued to students at the Tain Campus.
The total number of students who would have obtained loans up to December 31, 2014 was 25,335. The total value of the loans was $9,159,644,463. Of the total number of students who have received loans (25,335): 4,713 or 18.6% are recent graduates or are still students; 1,776 or 7% were able to repay their loans totalling $679,918,794 including principal and interest.
Five students had their loans written off while 1,278 or five percent have been paying.
However, they have not been up-to-date, the report showed.
The report had also stated that there was a clear indication that the then Ministry of Finance and by extension, the Agency, did not pursue the defaulters with a view to recover their indebtedness.
However, a notice was published on the Ministry of Finance website last Thursday where the Ministry is now asking students to settle their debts.
The notice stated that students must be reminded that repaying their loans is an obligation that must be honoured.
The Ministry is asking students who have outstanding balances on their loans to visit the Student Loan Agency to discuss the repayments of these monies.
The Head of the Agency at the time when the report was conducted, Rawle Sue-Ho, advised the auditors that he was never instructed to operate the Student Loan Fund as a “revolving one.”
Sue-Ho further explained to the auditors that “Several attempts to have the Ministry of Finance/Government of Guyana address the high level of delinquency did not result in action.
“In addition, the Agency was/is not suitably staffed to pursue defaulting students. On the other hand, in excess of $12M is repaid monthly through deduction orders, the vast majority of which were implemented after action was taken by the Agency”.
The audit report went viral with a list with some 488 persons who were deemed “delinquent”. Some of the names are prominent Guyanese professionals including the former Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Robert Corbin; former A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) and prominent Attorney, James Bond; Magistrate, Adela Nagamootoo, the daughter of Prime Minister Moses Nagamottoo; PPP’s Central Committee Member, Majeed Hussain; Attorney-at-law Jaya Devi Manickchand; Magistrate Judy Tanujah Latchman, Attorneys Roysdale Forde, Ronald Burch-Smith, Paul Braam; and former Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys.
Joan Ann Edghill, daughter of former Junior Finance Minister and current PPP/C MP, Juan Edghill, is also on the list along with Deputy Solicitor General Prithima Tiwari Kissoon.
Among the other delinquents are also, Attorneys Leslie Sobers, Roger Yearwood, Natasha Grey, Bernard Da Silva, Jochebed Pollard, Dexter Todd, Lauren Dundas.
Below is the list that was found in the report:
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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