Following serious concern by Fiji National University students on the increase in hostel fee, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad is calling on FNU to postpone the hostel fee increase until the next budget when the government will evaluate whether additional allowances are required due to the rise in hostel fees and other student expenses.
While speaking to fijivillage News, Professor Prasad says FNU had made this decision unilaterally without informing the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Education.
He says FNU is a fully funded government institution and at the time of the budget delivery, the government had already allocated funding, which included provisions for tuition fees and allowances.
Professor Prasad adds FNU had not informed any stakeholders and it should have been FNU’s responsibility to inform stakeholders about any planned fee hikes.
He says he had written to the Minister for Education, who oversees FNU.
The Deputy Prime Minister says the Ministry of Finance did not expect FNU to increase hostel charges or tuition fees because these were not included in the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Scheme.
He says he expects better communication from the university.
Professor Prasad says the fees had been increased by almost 50 percent, from $1200 to $1800, which is seen as unacceptable.
He says the additional $600 from the $1200 allowance would leave students with less money for other expenses.
The Deputy Prime Minister adds that the current allowances were reasonable, but with the increased hostel fees, students would face financial difficulty.
Questions have been sent to FNU and Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro.
They are yet to respond.
Many students at Fiji National University are raising serious concerns as FNU accommodation rates have increased, while the allowance they receive through the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service has remained the same.
A medical student at the Pasifika Campus, who is a National Toppers Scheme scholarship recipient, has told fijivillage News that the rate has increased from $1,200 to $1,800 per semester, or from $9.50 to $15 per day.
He says they receive $3,400 per semester and will now be left with $1,600 for food, transportation, and other educational needs.
The medical student adds students not on the National Toppers Scheme receive $2,500 through TSLS and would be suffering even more.
The student also says that no reason has been given for the increase, and the Student Association has been raising the issue since last December, but the rate remains unchanged.
Another student is imploring the university and the government to empathize with the students to consider their request to either reinstate the previous rate or come up with a lesser increase or to increase their TSLS allowance.
While responding to questions by fijivillage News, FNU says they deemed it necessary to increase the hostel fees to keep pace with rising costs, including maintenance, utilities, and upgrades to improve the safety and quality of student accommodation.
They say they increased the fee after a period of six years since the last revision.
FNU says these investments aim to ensure that students continue to benefit from a secure and conducive living environment.
They say the university had engaged a registered valuer to conduct a review of the hostel rates to determine the best rationale for the current market rate.
FNU says the proposed increases in rates went through the university processes such as consultation with the senior management, FNU Students Association, the Financial Resources Committee, and the Council before a green light was given for implementation.
Questions have been sent to Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad.
Further questions have also been sent to FNU.
They are yet to respond.
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations
