More than $11 million allocated under the Tertiary Education Loan Scheme (TELS) remained unspent in 2024, largely due to low student interest in several programmes, according to the Auditor-General’s report.
A total budget of $112.9 million was allocated for tuition and accommodation support across various schemes, including TVET programmes, higher education, medical studies and skills training.
However, only $101.2 million was utilised, leaving an unspent balance of $11.6 million.
Of the total allocation, $69.3 million was released to the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service (TSLS), while $31.9 million was reallocated to other areas such as grants to polytechnics, the General Reserve, National Toppers (local) and public-private partnerships for health.
The report found that a significant number of funded places were not taken up by students.
This included 576 unfilled spots for new TELS study loans, 194 places for qualification upgrades, and 65 places under the existing employees and entrepreneurs category.
The largest shortfall was recorded in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), with 3,098 places at Fiji National University and a further 62 places at other institutions remaining unfilled due to lack of interest.
These gaps also impacted the Accommodation Support Scheme, as fewer students meant reduced demand for housing assistance.
