Naitasiri Lad Optimistic, Budget Paves Way For Further Studies
“I spoke to my parents about it and they told me to wait for the military recruitment in September instead, but I had always wanted to become an agriculture teacher.”
Friday 01 April 2022 | 09:35
Nakasi High School Year 13 student, Eparama Vakabauta at the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Services on March 30.
A Nakasi High School student and his friends were always optimistic on the night the Revised 2021-22 National Budget was announced.
Eparama Vakabauta, who hails from Naitasiri, said he had hoped that the Government would provide a way for them to move forward in their studies.
“My friends and I came back after playing touch rugby and heard that the National Budget would be announced at 7pm that day,” he said.
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“We did not go anywhere else that night, we just sat and waited for the National Budget to be announced.
“I was really happy when the Government had announced that the entry marks for Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) will be reduced and I would like to thank the Government for its assistance.”
The 20-year-old said he felt that his dream was shattered on the day he received his results, knowing that he would not qualify for TELS by only two marks.
“When I received my result, I was not happy,” Mr Vakabauta said.
“I spoke to my parents about it and they told me to wait for the military recruitment in September instead, but I had always wanted to become an agriculture teacher.”
Mr Vakabauta said his parents would not have been able to afford his university fees because they were retired.
He scored 278/400 in the Fiji Year 13 Certificate Examination.
He has applied for TELS under the new revised cut-off mark of 250 announced during the Revised 2021-2022 National Budget by the Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
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