Ministry of Education says it has started reviewing the 2015 Parliamentary Act number 2 which mandates students from accredited institutions accessing loans from the Higher Education Students’ Loans and Grants Board.

Director of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education Levis Eniya has disclosed this during an interface with students from Malawi College of Health Sciences (MCHS), the Board and the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Technology.

According to Eniya, expectations are high that the Amended law will be presented in the forthcoming November sitting of the National Assembly.

“We are indeed working on the review of the Act, it’s a work that has just started and that work will buttressed by the meeting that has taken place today.

“We look ourselves to start the whole process in earnest by mid of September so that come October will should be having the first draft and we are targeting the sitting of Parliament in November,” said Eniya.

Commenting on the progress, MCHS Student Mother Union President Davidson Mkandawire said the students are hoping that the law will be amended as soon as possible.

“It’s our hope that reaching this far, we will be able to see light at the end of tunnel in as far this important issue is concerned,” Mkandawire said.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Committee Brainax Kaise said concerned parties need to seriously review the law to address challenges that needy students face.

He said: “As it is now, the law is prohibiting that the MCHS should not access the loans because it clearly stipulates that only those with degrees should have access to the loans.”

“We have agreed that there is need to review the law as currently it is discriminating many needy students not only from HCHS,” Kaise said.