Fulori Cavu was diagnosed with severe low vision at the age of 15, but that did not deter her from her goal to pursue higher education.

The 28-year-old graduated with a Degree in Geography and His­tory and she is currently pursu­ing a Graduate Certificate in Edu­cation from the University of the South Pacific (USP).

She was among the first batch of students to study on the TSLB (Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board) Schemes in 2014 and has been benefiting from it since.

She is under the Scholarship Scheme for Special Children (SSSC), which is an award pro­gramme available for students with special needs.

“When we finish our pro­gramme we do not have to pay back,” Ms Cavu said.

She added that the scholarship covered tuition fees and while they do not consider cut-off marks, students should be able to get admission into a university to qualify for this award.

“In this era, students need qual­ifications to get work and since TSLB is there, they should make use of this opportunity to get an education,” she said.

When asked about whether she wanted the old scholarships to be brought back, Ms Cavu added that the TSLB schemes were bet­ter because “there is equal oppor­tunity for everyone”.

Antonio Tuvia, who is a Bach­elor of Commerce student at USP, said that he preferred the TELS scheme because it has been help­ing students across all spectrums whether they scored very high marks or were average achievers.

“I come from humble begin­nings and my family is not well off, so it would have been difficult to study further had it not been for TELS,” he said.

Mr Tuvia is originally from La­basa Town and will graduate next year.

Edited by Epineri Vula

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