A petition submitted to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development in Honiara by government-sponsored students at USP in Suva, Fiji, will be addressed "accordingly".

Permanent Secretary, Barnabas Anga, said the Ministry will respond to the petition accordingly. Students issued the petition following continuous delay by the government to pay book and living allowances. The petition raised a number of issues in relation to the allowance matter, with the demand that government respond by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, students in USP have confirmed receiving their allowance early this week. One of the students, in an e-mail to Solomon Times, stated that while it is a huge relief for the students, many are still awaiting the last portion of last semester's allowance. "The thing is, our allowance from last semester was not paid in full, and many of us owe friends and landlords money from last year," the student said. "I hope the government can also look into the outstanding allowance."