18,000 university students to benefit from support fund

By Mohammad Ghazal

AMMAN - The names of Student Support Fund beneficiaries will be announced at the beginning of the next academic semester in February, according to a government official.

About 18,000 university students will benefit from loans and grants extended by the fund, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the ministry's secretary general, Mustafa Adwan, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday.

The beneficiaries will be selected from about 45,000 university students who submitted applications, the official said, adding that the grants cover all credit hours while the loan covers 45 credit hours.

Noting that the fund is in the process of entering and examining data submitted by applicants, Adwan said the selection process is in line with standards that take into account the family income, place of residence and academic excellence, among other considerations.

Fund beneficiaries should be Jordanians who are incapable of paying tuition fees and do not receive support from any other entity.

Applicants should have a Tawjihi (General Secondary Education Certificate) score of 60 and above to be eligible to benefit from the fund.

Meanwhile, Adwan said the ministry is planning to establish a student loan bank in October next year.

"The bank will extend interest-free loans to university students and they will not be obliged to provide guarantees for getting a loan. We want to make it easier for university students to get loans and expand coverage of beneficiaries to enable them to pursue their education," Adwan noted.

19 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32731.