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{
    "id": 555643,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/555643/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 45,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wangwe",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2543,
        "legal_name": "Emmanuel Wangwe",
        "slug": "emmanuel-wangwe"
    },
    "content": "The Board members should not behave as if they are bosses unto themselves but they should know that they are accountable to the students and the applicants. I feel that it is a noble proposal in the Bill that we make sure that the Board, at least, listens to our students who have been denied a loan. There is also the position that the students owing the HELB and have not secured a source of income, at least, can have a say. We understand the situation today. Many graduates leave universities and do not get employed immediately. But what happens to the HELB? It quickly assumes that in the fourth year a student has started earning income. Therefore, it is important that we give a leeway. Even in banks when you apply for a loan, you are given a grace period. We are saying that during the time when students do not have income, let there be a waiver or a grace period so that they can look for employment. They should be free within that period. We do not want to blame the HELB but we want to correct its administration. It is also important to note that the HELB was funded long time ago and yet the population of the applicants has been growing year-in year-out. Therefore, many times the Board has been facing liquidity problems. It is my prayer that during the implementation of this Bill, the Exchequer will consider giving more funds to the HELB. This will enable it to handle the high population of students applying for loans. There is also the issue of other contributory schemes. There is the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) which we handle and the fund that is managed by the Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) which gets some allocations from the counties. There is also the allocation of resources from the county governments. I propose that, as we correct the administration of the HELB, let us channel all these resources through one body. As much as we will be contributing from individual constituencies or individual wards, let the administration of these funds be carried out by a professional body like HELB. With those remarks, I beg to support the Bill. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}