The Nadi Sangam College student that scored 395 out of 400 which is the highest mark in the Year 13 exam had wanted to study medicine and surgery but could not do this as there is no National Toppers scholarship that caters for this program.
When questioned if the Ministry will consider giving her a scholarship in the area since she scored the highest mark, Education Minister Premila Kumar says they need to focus on areas where there is employability.
Kumar says they have seen that sometimes students get carried away where they still go with their friends even though their parents are paying for their fees.
The Year 13 student is now opting to study Bachelor of Pharmacy at the Fiji National University.
Meanwhile we had also asked the Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and the Minister for Education if they will also be looking at the situation where a student completed her first-year MBBS education last year and is not included in the $10,000 government grant payout.
They both refused to comment.
According to the National Budget, in the 2021-2022 financial year, all MBBS students that had privately enrolled with a minimum Year 13 mark of 340, with the first-year GPA of 3.0 or more, and combined family income below $100,000 will be eligible for a one-off $10,000 Government grant towards their education.
Muni Lachmi of Lautoka who needs the assistance says her daughter had a GPA of 4.19 for Foundation in 2020 and 3.0 GPA in the first year of MBBS last year.
She says she has called the Minister for Education, Premila Kumar who has referred the matter to the Permanent Secretary for Education.
Lachmi says she was later told that the $10,000 grant is only for the MBBS students who came through Year 13.
She claims she has also made several calls and sent messages to the Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum however there has been no response.
Lachmi is asking why the other students are being left out.
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