A Government minister has gone the extra mile by taking workers from the Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) to a village at Nasinu to register young men wishing to attend university.

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Disaster Management Jone Usamate’s efforts resulted in two Kalabu Village youths signing up to go to university.

The two young men going back to study thanks to TELS are Luke Waiserua and Taito Rauluni Turaga.

Yesterday residents celebrated the news.

28-year-old Mr Waserua will study engineering and 22-year-old Taito will take up maritime studies at the Fiji National University.

Mr Turaga’s mother, Ana Lomani Turaga, said she was very excited that her son was going back to school.

Mr Usamate said he brought the TELS workers to the village so that it became easier for young people to register.

“This was the major project we were looking into this year trying to get the youths excited to go back to school.

There is big problem with unemployed youths,” he said.

“The youths do not go school and they hang around doing nothing. They are dependent on their parents, which is wrong.”

He added that with all the effort he was able persuade two to go back to school.

“We decided to give them support rather than giving negativity on their situation.

This will encourage other youths to follow the right path. We are doing something practical rather than just sitting and talking.

Young children tend to drift with life and go with the flow of the wind, but it is necessary for us as elders to guide them,” Mr Usamate said.

Edited by Epineri Vula

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