STUDENTS who receive Government-funded scholarships but abandon their studies after collecting allowances will face tougher monitoring measures as the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service (TSLS) acts to protect millions of dollars in taxpayer funding.
TSLS chief executive Dr Apisalome Movono confirmed that cases of students withdrawing from courses after receiving scholarship support are occurring, resulting in the organisation working more closely with the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) to improve oversight.
Dr Movono said the memorandum of understanding signed yesterday was aimed at ensuring government-funded scholarships were directed towards credible programs and students who were actively pursuing their studies.
“We are quite aware that has been happening and we have put measures in place to ensure that those issues are not happening,” he said.
He said TSLS had already introduced stricter requirements for scholarship allowance payments, with institutions now required to confirm students are actively attending classes.
“We’ve been quite strict with allowance disbursements, requiring tertiary education institutes to let us know that students are actually studying, that students have attended at least 67 per cent of their classes before we disburse scholarships.”
He said receiving a scholarship funded by taxpayers was a privilege and students must treat it responsibly.
“It is a privilege to receive taxpayer funds to fund your education dreams.”
He said further measures would be introduced through the 2027 TSLS Scholarships Handbook, to be launched in August, which would outline enhanced probationary measures including the possible withdrawal of allowances for underperforming students.
“Students will be penalised. They will lose their allowances if they’re not performing.”
Dr Movono noted that TSLS had a responsibility to ensure scholarship support reached students who were committed to completing their studies and gaining skills needed by Fiji’s workforce.
