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SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 1980
FURTHERMORE, IN ORDER TO KEEP PACE WITH RISING COSTS OF LIVING, THE MAXIMUM LOAN LEVEL HAS BEEN RAISED TWICE FROM $4 000 PREVIOUSLY TO THE PRESENT $5 400.
REPAYMENT IS PAINLESS.LOANS TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE NORMALLY REPAYABLE BY 20 EQUAL QUARTERLY INSTALMENTS OVER A PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS AFTER THEY LEAVE UNIVERSITY.
THE REPAYMENT PERIODS FOR POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS VARY FROM THREE TO FIVE YEARS MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERING LENGTH OF COURSES.
FOR STUDENTS IN POST-SECONDARY COLLEGES, INTEREST FREE LOANS FIRST BECAME AVAILABLE IN 1975 AT THE HONG KONG BAPTIST COLLEGE. A MORE COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME WAS INTRODUCED LAST SEPTEMBER AND NOW THE LOANS FURTHER COVER LINGNAN COLLEGE AND SHUE YAN COLLEGE. LOANS ARE AVAILABLE UP TO A MAXIMUM OF $4 400 A YEAR FOR A STUDENT.
IN THE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR, $8.5 MILLION IN GRANTS AND $26 MILLION IN INTEREST FREE LOANS HAVE BEEN DISBURSED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. ANOTHER $1.4 MILLION IN GRANTS AND $16 MILLION IN LOANS WERE PROVIDED TO STUDENTS AT THE POLYTECHNIC,
FULL-TIME STUDENTS AT THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION ARE ALSO ASSISTED IF THEY HAVE DIFFICULTIES IN MEETING EXPENSES.
FOR THE TRAINEE TEACHERS TOO, THE AMOUNT OF ASSISTANCE HAS BEEN INCREASED LAST SEPTEMBER, FROM $1 600 TO $2 000 FOR A MAINTENANCE GRANT AND FROM $1 200 TO $2 400 FOR AN INTEREST FREE LOAN.
SO FAR, STUDENT LOANS HAVE BENEFITED OVER 100 000 YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN PURSUING HIGHER STUDIES AND OVER $200 MILLION HAS BEEN PAID OUT TO ENSURE THAT NO ONE IS DEPRIVED OF THE OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGHER STUDIES BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL STRINGENCY.
ROAD IN TUEN MUN TO BE WIDENED
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A SECTION OF LUNG MUN ROAD IN TUEN MUN NEW TOWN WILL BE WIDENED TO FORM PART OF A MAJOR ROAD LINK SERVING A PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE FOR OVER 60 000 RESIDENTS.
THE NEW ROAD WILL ALSO SERVE INDUSTRIAL AND PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS ON A FUTURE 34-HECTARE RECLAMATION ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE TOWN, AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE POWER STATION AND CEMENT PLANT NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT TAP SHEK KOK.
THE SECTION OF THE ROAD TO BE WIDENED EXTENDS SOME 1 600 METRES FROM ITS JUNCTION WITH TSING WAN ROAD TO THE PAK KOK SEWAGE PUMPING STATION.
TENDERS ARE