A recipient of ASG financial aid received his loan check from the Development Bank of American Samoa a few days after he posted a complaint concerning the late issuance of checks on the 93 KHJ Facebook page.
Aifili John Tufa wrote that every semester, hundreds of students awarded ASG scholarship loans from DBAS do not get their checks on time to pay tuition, books rent etc.
He said some of the recipients borrow money from friends, banks or apply for credit cards to tide them over.
But some have no other choice and don’t register for classes.
According to Tufa he’s one of those students.
While grateful for the assistance he points out that the delay in receiving scholarship checks from ASG happens every single year since the beginning of the loan program.
This semester is no exception.
As of February 9, Tufa was still waiting for ASG Treasury to release funds to the DBAS so that the bank could cut him a check.
He asked that KHJ look into the delay with DBAS loan checks.
There’s a good ending to this story.
A few days after Tufa posted his complaint he was notified his DBAS scholarship loan check was ready.
Tufa said he’s happy to finally receive the check but wonders what will happen in the next semester.
He said due to the delay in issuance the DBAS checks students are inconvenienced and some have to miss out on classes then try to catch up.
Others can’t pay their rent and have to find a place to stay when they should only be concentrating on school work.
Tufa says the government is doing the students a disservice, they deserve better.
DBAS President Ruth Matagi Faatili says Treasury transferred $417,000 to DBAS last week to cover all student scholarship loans.
She said the transfer was made shortly after she met with Governor Lolo Moliga to discuss the delay in issuing checks for students before Governor Lolo left for Washington D.C.
