Students will not have to deal with two different entities when applying for bond travel clearance, as a significant transition formalized today marks the official handover of responsibility from Fiji Revenue and Customs Service to the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service.
While speaking during the handover, FRCS CEO Udit Singh says the document signed outlines the details of the information, data, and documents that FRCS will provide to TSLS as part of the handover process.
He says their organisation will no longer accept any requests from students regarding the Tertiary Education Loan Scheme or the National Toppers Scheme.
TSLS CEO Dr. Hasmukh Lal says these changes, approved and legislated by Parliament, now make it mandatory for TSLS to oversee the bond travel clearance and recovery functions, effective from January 2, 2025.
Dr. Lal emphasized that reclaiming these functions, which were previously handled by FRCS since 2017, will streamline services and offer students the convenience of dealing with a single agency instead of two.
He says TSLS has already received 6,500 applications, of which 1,500 have been completed.
This means that these applicants have finalized their chosen programs, and TSLS has already processed over 500 applications.
Dr. Lal says the processing of degree program applicants began at the highest mark of 390 and has now progressed to applicants scoring 370 and above.
The application will close on the 31st of this month.
