For the academic year 2025, there will be 60 MBBS and 20 commercial pilot training scholarships available.
However, receiving an offer letter from universities or flying schools does not guarantee a scholarship and students must meet specific criteria, including passing assessments, to qualify for these scholarships.
This was highlighted by the CEO of Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service, Hasmukh Lal who says the quota for MBBS scholarships is capped at 60, with the provisional cutoff mark set at 365 and students with scores lower than the cutoff will not qualify, even if they hold offer letters from universities.
He says for pilot training, 20 scholarships have been allocated, with students needing to pass online aptitude and psychometric assessments conducted by Fiji Airways.
Lal adds that there are students who have requested rechecks and some are seeing an increase in their scores, which may lead to new demands for MBBS scholarships.
He says the process ensures that only deserving students who meet the required criteria are awarded scholarships.
The CEO says in regard to the pilot training, there is an arrangement between TSLS and Fiji Airways to sponsor 20 students annually.
He says previously, pilot graduates would often spend one to three years doing administrative work before actually flying, but through this new partnership, sponsored students will be mentored by Fiji Airways and upon graduation, will be ready to fly.
He adds that while students may graduate in Fiji as pilots, they will initially fly smaller aircraft, with the opportunity to progress to larger aircraft as they gain more flight hours.
Lal says the investment in a pilot student’s two-year training is $198,000 and to ensure the right candidates are selected, the bonding period has been increased from 1.5 years to 2.5 years.
He says after completing their training and bonding period, Fiji Airways will provide further training for pilots to operate wide-body aircraft.
The CEO says Fiji Airways plans to localize more pilot positions within the organization, which is why the 20 scholarships are being offered annually to support this initiative.
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