The Ministry of Higher Education, Labour, and Skills Development is working on automating its processes through the “My Edu Portal” to expedite the disbursement of government loans for higher education. Currently, student loan applications are processed manually through the main education portal.
This year, a significant number of students are benefiting from government loan schemes for higher education. The ministry has reported that 3,201 students have received higher education opportunities so far this year, and the fees for 10,595 students studying abroad are also to be processed.
Up to now, USD 44.8 million has been allocated for these students, and the necessary documents have been submitted to the Ministry of Finance. State Minister for Higher Education, Dr. Abdulla Nazeer, acknowledged concerns regarding the processing of government-issued loans for higher education. He attributed the delays to the manual processing required by ministry employees.
Previously, loan application forms had to be submitted in person at the ministry. The ongoing upgrade of the portal aims to speed up the loan processing. Once completed, the portal will feature live chat support and address issues such as missed emails and delays in responses. Additionally, the upgrade will help resolve challenges faced by both ministry staff and students related to loan processing delays.