The Coalition Government has again rolled out the back to school assistance for all eligible Fiji students for the 2024 academic year.
The application for this initiative will open on Monday, November 6 and will close on Friday, December 22 (2023).
A total of $45million has been allocated in the 2023-24 budget for this initiative, and more than 220,000 students are expected to be assisted.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Prof Biman Prasad said they were opening the application much earlier compared to the previous round to allow parents and guardians, teachers and schools more time to complete and submit their applications.
Parents and guardians will be eligible for the $200 assistance for each child to purchase school items so their children are well-equipped for the 2024 school year.
This initiative is for students in early childhood education (ECE), primary, and secondary up to Year 13.
Support will be provided for each student for families earning $50,000 and less combined annual gross household income.
“And to make this process more accessible as possible, the parents and guardians can obtain the hard copy manual application from the child’s school or download it from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance websites,” Mr Prasad said.
Parents and guardians will have seven weeks to gather all the required documentation and make the application.
The Finance Ministry will begin disbursing payments from Wednesday, January 10 (2024), which means parents and guardians will have more than two weeks after the payment to prepare their children.
The 2024 school year will start on January 29, 2024.
