Babauta: SHEFA to fast track NMTI request

Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance vice chair Juan Tenorio, left, discusses his concerns while board members, from left, Frank Cabrea and Ray Muna, administrator Melissa Rasa, and chair Oscar M. Babauta listen in their last week’s meeting at the conference room of the Saipan Mayor’s Office. (Jon Perez)

Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance would fast track the request made by the Northern Marianas Trades Institute to provide financial aid to their students. SHEFA provides supplementary financial assistance to qualified students who want to seek college degrees here or overseas.

SHEFA chair Oscar M. Babauta, in last week’s board meeting, said they wanted to help NMTI and they are looking at covering all of the programs they offer to eligible students.

NMTI officials, led by chief executive officer Agnes McPhetres, met with SHEFA also last week.

“The committee would be fast-tracking the request made by NMTI of granting awards to its respective students other than those in the construction trades. We want to have a permanent solution on this matter,” said Babauta.

Babuta added that SHEFA supports NMTI’s programs by providing funds to its students in the construction trades. “But we want to adopt policies that would apply to other vocational institutions aside from NMTI.”

NMTI wanted to include its other programs particularly in the hotel and restaurant operations—which also follows the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute’s curriculum—and culinary arts that have become popular among CNMI residents.

NMTI aims to train and prepare students to enter the CNMI workforce especially now that there’s a lot of economic activity happening on Saipan. Several restaurants and Kensington Hotel Saipan had already opened while a few more will start its operations in the coming months.

SHEFA administrator Melissa Rasa also reported that they had already received a total of 807 applicants as of Thursday, July 21. Not yet included are those applications sent by snail mail on or before the July 1, 2016 deadline.

Out of the 807 applicants, 398 are new, while 376 are ongoing recipients. Another 33 are returning or did not apply for one year.

SHEFA has already approved 154 applications or a total of $286,000 and the requests are awaiting Babauta’s signature before they could forward it to the Department of Finance for processing.

Rasa added that they also denied 43 due to having already met the award duration for associate degrees, repeating courses that have already been paid for by SHEFA, and not meeting the required 2.5 GPA

Babauta said that he is concerned in the next three years as the casino opening would gravely affect the poker gaming industry. “Providing service to the students requires a certain amount of money. We are liable to that contractual obligation between students and the agency.”

He added that they are hopeful the CNMI Legislature and other concerned government agencies would help them in looking for other source of funds once the revenue from the poker license fees decrease.

Recipients of SHEFA’s assistance are expected to return to Saipan after they successfully complete their collegiate degrees to share what they have learned by working either in the private or public sector and in non-profit organizations.