TELS Students Must Seek Prior Approval Before Changing Programme

From 2019 to 2023, 1082 recipients of Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service (TSLS) scholarships terminated or ceased their sponsorships during the period of their studies.

The acting board chairperson of TSLS, Penuel Emi, said a major reason for this was students obtaining overseas student visas for studies abroad.

Ms Emi revealed that from 2019 to 2023, 791 students changed programmes.

She said this was due to reasons such as students being forced to undertake a programme that was not of their own choice or a choosing programme under peer pressure, while some students did not have prior knowledge of the programme content and possible job roles.

With this becoming an issue noted by the TSLS, Ms Emi has urged Year 13 students who recently sat exams to discuss and agree with their parents or guardians on their choice of programme to study through Fiji Government-funded scholarships before making a final decision.

Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service

This, she said, also applied to Year 12 students who recently sat exams and planned to pursue Skills Qualifications (TVET) under the Scholarships for Skills Qualification schemes.

“Each year, TSLS records that quite a number of students request a change of programme and cease sponsorship to discontinue studies,” Dr Emi said.

“A student wishing to change the programme must seek prior approval from TSLS before changing the programme with the tertiary education providers,” she said.

“A student is allowed only one change of programme within the first year, and the programme should be within the same discipline or national priority area of choice.”

She said they recorded a change of programme request in 2023, which was only from 35 recipients.

“This is attributed to massive awareness of scholarship schemes through the TSLS readily available Community Awareness Handbook and collaborations by tertiary education providers.

“TSLS thank the tertiary education providers for providing academic counselling and looks forward to the same and better provisions this year.”

The acting board chairperson urged the tertiary education providers to provide accurate information on the programmes funded under various scholarship schemes to students. Please refer to the readily available 2024 Community Awareness Handbook of TSLS.

Conditions 

She added that while a student chooses to cease their sponsorship, they were obligated to serve the country, commensurate with the investment made by the taxpayers, or pay back the equivalent if their service to the country was not provided via any form of paid employment.

Ms Emi stated that online applications were open and that the processing of applications would start after the release of the Year 13 results and once the applicants had loaded their final study offer letters from their preferred tertiary education provider.

The first cut-off closing date for a complete online application is Friday, February 2.

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