10,025 iTaukei students benefit from TLTB education assistance

More than 10,000 iTaukei students have benefited from the iTaukei Land Trust Board’s (TLTB) Early Withdrawal Minors Education Assistance programme since its introduction last year.

Minister for iTaukei Affairs and Chairman of the TLTB Board of Trustees, Ifereimi Vasu, confirmed that 2,356 students were assisted at the start of this year alone. In total, 10,025 students have received support across the 2024, 2025 and 2026 academic years.

The programme, introduced in 2024, allows access to a portion of minors’ lease funds to meet immediate education expenses, while the remaining balance continues to be invested until beneficiaries turn 18.

The initiative was developed in response to growing concerns about families needing timely financial assistance to keep children in school. It enables part of the minors’ funds to be used for primary and secondary education, helping to ease the burden on households facing financial pressure.

Mr Vasu said the Early Withdrawal Minors Education Assistance has proven to be useful to iTaukei students in support of Government education programmes at the primary and secondary levels.

“It ensures that lease funds are used meaningfully to meet essential immediate educational needs, to avoid dropouts and it demonstrate the Board commitments to support the education of our children as absolutely vital to socio economic development of our country,” Mr Vasu added.