It was in the lead-up to Christmas that I reported Ms. Ethel Lency Vokia, the then newly elected Member of Parliament for North-East Guadalcanal had worked tirelessly in delivering farming tools to her constituents.
Today, it is reported in the Solomon Star newspaper in a piece written by Follet John that Mrs. Vokia has really gone beyond the extra mile by paying the outstanding school fees of 41 students of her constituency.
The article in the newspaper read, and I quote.
More than forty North East Guadalcanal Constituency students studying at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) have had their outstanding fees paid out, Wednesday.
It was their newly-elected Member of Parliament, Ethel Lency Vokia, who came to the rescue. Mrs. Vokia told Solomon Star that the first 41 students have had their fees paid in full.
“Now they can attend lectures and tutorials without fear of being sent away,” Vokia said.
She added, the delay in settling the students’ outstanding fees was due to the non-payment of education grants by the government.
“It was quite challenging, but at the same time I am happy to assist the students because they are the future human resources for my Constituency.”
“Because of the urgency to get the students into SINU this year, I had to use the Constituency’s cash grant to pay the students’ tuition fees so they do not fall behind in their studies,” she said.
“In order to support this group of students I have to dig deeper into my own pocket with a thought of providing education for all,” Mrs. Vokia added.
The MP went on to state that she also wanted to help sponsor high school students in forms six and seven as a way of enhancing human resource development in her constituency.
“There are parents who have kids in primary and junior high schools. They too came to seek assistance for school fees. I am happy that I could also assist them,” she said.
She also told this paper about students from her Constituency who have outstanding fees from various schools that she also cleared.
“These students received empty envelopes during their graduation at SINU because the former MP failed to pay their tuition fees. I am glad I could step in and clear their fees.
“Now that I have cleared those outstanding fees, some of these students are now working,” she said.
SINU this week declared North East Guadalcanal Constituency as one of the few Constituencies without outstanding tuition fees.
Mrs. Vokia said she would use this year’s Constituency scholarship grants on medical students.
