Acting Board Chairperson of Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service Doctor Penuel Emi is urging Year 13 students who recently sat exams to discuss and agree with their parents or guardians on their choice of program to study through Fiji Government-funded scholarships.
She says this also applies to Year 12 students who recently sat exams and would like to pursue Skills Qualifications under the Scholarships for Skills Qualification schemes.
She says if students wish to change the program must seek prior approval from TSLS before changing the program with the Tertiary Education providers.
Dr. Emi students are allowed only one change of program within the first year and the program should be within the same discipline or national priority area of choice.
She says from 2019 to 2023, 791 students changed programs and the reasons given were due to students being forced to undertake a program which is not of their own choice, choosing a program under peer pressure, while some students did not have prior knowledge of the program content and possible job roles.
She advises that as per the policy, the change of a program after a year prolongs the years of bonding and is an additional cost to the taxpayers of the country.
The acting Board Chairperson is urging the tertiary education providers to provide accurate information on the programs funded under various scholarship schemes to students.
Dr. Emi says that online application is open, and the processing of applications will start after the release of the Year 13 results and once the applicants have loaded their final study offer letters from the preferred Tertiary Education provider.
The first cut-off closing date for completing the online application will be Friday the 2nd of February.
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