SHEFA receives $3 million in appropriation every year to help eligible Saipan students pursue college education.
Maggie C. Camacho, SHEFA board member, said there’s a need to revisit the awarding of scholarships to accommodate applicants based on the available funds.
The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation must determine how SHEFA funds could accommodate the increasing number of applications, she said.
Board appeals committee chairman John K. Tenorio said SHEFA must inform Saipan lawmakers about the increase of students since the program was created by S.L.L. 13-21 in 2004.
This semester, the board reported more than 9,000 applicants but only 629 were approved.
According to S.L.L. 13-21, the funding for SHEFA comes from the local license fees for poker and pachinko machines.
SHEFA can also receive donations from individuals, associations or corporations.
Newly elected SHEFA board chairman Jose C. Mafnas said there were only 11 poker units listed for November and none was renewed as of Friday.
“We may not have enough funding to accommodate pending awards,” he said.
Last October, 31 of 34 poker units were renewed, he said.
Based on the projected inventory of poker units from Oct. 2010 to Sept. 2011, the Department of Finance expects to collect $6,948,000 from 579 units.
Camacho said the $3 million current appropriation for SHEFA will not be enough to address the increasing number of students every semester.
“We can’t deny assistance to the students but we can only work within our means,” he added.
