42 Students Get $10k Each

Forty-two first year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) private students were all smiles yesterday as they were recipients of Government’s one-off grant of $10,000 each.

Sixty-four per cent of these grant recipients were females.

The handover of the grants took place at the  FNU College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science in Suva.

While handing over the grant letters to the recipients, Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the grant was part of the Government’s initiatives outlined in the 2021/2022 National Budget for first year MBBS students.

The initiative was to assist students after the Government had suspended Toppers and Tertiary Education Loan Scheme funding in the last two financial years for MBBS following an oversupply of Fijian doctors based on the World Health Organisation and Ministry of Health and Medical Services’ doctor-patient ratio.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the MBBS grant recipients were both from the Fiji National University and the University of Fiji.

The selection criteria included a pass in Year 13 with a mark of 340 plus, a GPA of 3.0 and above in Year One and combined parental income less $100,000 through means testing. He said the Fijian Government was committed to quality education.

“We have cases where some MBBS students had GPAs of less than GPA 2.0 and 1.5 who were funded by TSLS through Toppers and TELS,” he said.

“Our health system cannot afford to have poor quality doctors; through this one-off grant, the Fijian Government is ensuring quality is rewarded by assisting students with good GPAs who will be given grant letters today.”

He said that at the end of the current financial year, the Government would see a total allocation in Toppers and TELS to be $1.2 billion since the establishment of the Tertiary Scholarships Loan Service in 2014.

He added that the Government had assisted 53,115 students so far with Toppers and TELS with more females than males.

Feedback:  inoke.rabonu@fijisun.com.fj