The government of the Northern Marianas says it is owed more than four million US dollars by former students.
The CNMI Scholarship Office has revealed the debt in view of a bill allowing certain financial aid recipients to forbear payments on their student loans.
The administrator of the Scholarship Office, Merissa Rasa, says it is sad to know that while so much money is owed to the government from people who have defaulted, no one takes that seriously.
Lawmakers are currently considering legislation to forbear scholarship payments for returning students who cannot find jobs in the Commonwealth.
But Ms Rasa says the bill is unnecessary as former scholars who have either graduated or who are no longer enrolled in school already have the option to defer or forbear payments, if they can show proof that they are looking for work.
