Magazetini
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Cosmas Mwaisobwa, HESLB Director of Information, Education and Communication
26th August 2014
Some foreign students masquerading to be Tanzanians are among the beneficiaries of loans issued by the Higher Education Students Loan Board (HESLB) which are specifically meant for citizens, The Guardian can exclusively report.
According to this papers investigations, some students from neighbouring countries would come into the country at the stage of joining Advanced Level secondary education and somehow manage to get all the required documents that would make them qualify for the said loans.
Among the required credentials to submit to the loan board when a student applies for a loan are certified copies of applicants birth certificate, their parents birth certificates, academic certificates, guarantors information and their signature. However, the said students manage to fraudulently obtain all these credentials.
A reliable source told this paper that he went to school with some foreigners who were also enjoying the loan from HESLB.
I went to school with some of them and they had all the papers though they were not Tanzanian citizens. They secured loans just like local students. This is true and authorities need to do something about it to make sure that only the citizens of this country enjoy the funds, our source told this paper on condition of anonymity.
In an interview with this reporter, HESLB Director of Information, Education and Communication, Cosmas Mwaisobwa acknowledged that some loans end up landing on the wrong hands.
Its true, such things happen but I dont have actual figures of foreign students who managed to get loans meant for Tanzanian students. The challenge is with the authorities that issue documents such as birth certificates and affidavits. We, as the loan board have set our requirements and if one meets them then we have no reason to deny them the loan, said the official on Wednesday last week.
However, he refused to divulge more information on the matter, saying an authority higher than him might be in a better position to talk about the issue though he didnt mention the authority in question.
The official however called upon authorities like the National Identification Authority (NIDA) to continue with the issuance of national identity cards, saying they will help reduce such fraud.
He also called upon other authorities including local governments, advocates and the Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA) to be meticulous and ensure that only Tanzanian citizens are issued with the documents.
Basically, it is quite easy for one to have their academic certificates certified by the advocates. Also, one requires not more than 20,000/- to get an affidavit from the court.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
