Spring financial aid to NMTI remains pending at SHEFA

Financial assistance for scholars of the Northern Marianas Trade Institute remains pending to date even as the spring 2014 semester is about to close.
This is primarily due to the yet-to-be-approved policy of the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance, which, if adopted, would specifically cater to vocational and trade institute students who are eligible to apply and avail of the program’s financial assistance.

SHEFA board chair Josephine Sablan told Saipan Tribune that checks for NMTI scholars for the spring semester will remain on hold pending the adoption of SHEFA’s amended rules and regulations.

Thirty NMTI students applied for financial awards this semester. Of this number, 25 were denied while two applications are pending final approval.

SHEFA provides $1,000 in financial aid to NMTI scholars per term and the first and last checks awarded were in 2010.

“The process was delayed because we need to come up with a guideline for the trade school. That’s why we’re pushing for a draft so we can deliberate at our next meeting,” said Sablan.

The SHEFA board earlier disclosed that additional information is needed from NMTI to come up with a sound policy for the institute. These may include data on the trade’s curriculum, instructors, and operations.

Some board members earlier raised the idea of requiring NMTI instructors to ask their former universities for certificates that will qualify them to become instructors at the trade school.

At this time, Sablan said the SHEFA board is giving more consideration to the situation of NMTI, which is reorganizing and restructuring.

“As far as certification is concerned, we would move ahead now on whatever they have in their programs and we will continue to communicate and discuss with them the possibility of certifying all their instructors in the future,” she added.

NMTI has about 50 students this semester. It was earlier disclosed that these trade students are technically ineligible for financial assistance from SHEFA because its enabling rules exclude grants for trade and vocational schools. The only way to go around this is to rewrite the policy and regulations, or establish specific rules and regulation dealing with trade and vocational scholars.