I read the letter from 'Struggling Jamaican' in The Sunday Gleaner, and I must add that my experience with the Students Loan Bureau (SLB) was echoed in every word she wrote.

I wasn't able to secure a "sensible" job until about eight months after graduation and by then, I had to pay less than the required amount of monthly payments, and had to miss some payments because my expenses were far greater than my salary. By the time I got a better position, I was in arrears by $50,000.

As a result, I started paying $5,000 extra every month, but was constantly called by the SLB and be told that I needed to pay a lump sum of $50,000 to bring my payments up to date immediately.

Guarantors

When I explained that I was paying more than required every month and that I would not be able to find $50,000 so quickly they told me, that's what my guarantors were for, and that if I didn't make the required payments they would "have to take drastic measures to recover the funds".

It seems as if the bureau is incapable of determining whether an individual is repaying his or her loan or not. It's so discouraging.

I love my country, but I felt like I would never achieve anything in life with the extreme lack of good job opportunities and the exorbitant amount of expenses just to stay alive.

I am, etc.,

O.P.

soffy2002@yahoo.com

San Fernando

Trinidad & Tobago