THE EDITOR, Sir:
AS ANOTHER school year draws to a close and graduating hopefuls scramble to access financing for tertiary education, the Students Loan Bureau is yet again caught up in the fray and frenzy.
The scene at the SLB on any given day during the application period could easily be mistaken for a "Rising Star" audition or better yet applicants for a housing development project about to come on the market. Students from schools across the island converge on this property from as early as 4.00 am, I am told, in order to get an early number in the line.
Those from the western end of the island face the highest degree of difficulty as they could end up spending as much as two days just to have their application handed in and checked with no guarantee that they will be successful in their bid. There is also the possibility that the guarantor/s will be asked to visit the SLB for an interview, thus exacerbating an already difficult situation.
This period is also a time when final examinations are nigh or are already in progress. This additional stress and strain could negatively affect the students' ability to perform creditably in his/her exams. The current dismal state of our pass rates could be very well be impacted by these circumstances.
I do believe it is time for the SLB to review their processing system and the actual application form, with a view to making it more user-friendly and practicable. A re-design and reconfiguration of the actual application form could prove to take some doing. However the collection and the submission of the forms could be administered by each school. The Guidance Counsellor or some other appropriate staff member could be appointed to collect and proof the completed application form from a checklist provided by the SLB.
Any corrections could be done right there and then rather than having to necessitate an additional visit by the applicant to the SLB, which is what obtains now. Obviously for cross-checking, the school would retain a list of the applications by students' names and a copy enclosed with the package to the SLB.
Negotiations could be entered into with a reliable courier or delivery service to effect collection and delivery to the SLB from the rural schools in the short term (and no I do not operate a courier or delivery service, neither do I have a friend in the business). In the long term all schools could adopt this method. The benefits to all parties are obvious.
It is time for us to concentrate on forging civil, organised and efficient systems to conduct such activities that involve a mass of the population These students are being prepared to enter the working, adult world. We must of necessity therefore send a clear message, send the right message, not only by the prescribed communication channels but more importantly...by example.
This cyclical phenomenon borders on the melodramatic.
I am, etc.,
MELROSE EDWARDS
Melly_ja@hotmail.com
43 Glendon Circle
Kingston
