Students want better scholarship opportunities
‘Education must be a priority and Government must look at the employment sector, since most are still out of jobs, degree holders are still unemployed.’
University of Fiji students at the Saweni, Lautoka Campus have called for more scholarship opportunities for students in the 2023-2024 National Budget.
Fiji National University (FNU) Bachelor of Education (Secondary) student Daiana Mua said the 2023-2024 National Budget needed to be clear and concise when detailing the new guidelines for scholarships.
“Media news of June 20 reported that the National Budget will waive $613 million owed to Government by students. I hope this will be true, I also hope that scholarships provided will have a clear outline of objectives so that students will know what to do with their scholarships,” she said.
“Scholarships are usually given to white-collar job prospects, let’s change that and look into TVET.”
The 25-year-old said an increase in allowances or salary for teachers in rural and maritime areas was needed.
“We want teachers to be passionate about o their job, but how can they do that if their pay isn’t up to par with their cost of living,” she said.
First-year Bachelor in Medicine and Bachelor in Surgery (MBBS) student Sumil Sharma said the National Budget must have inclusive policies to empower youths.
“It has to provide more scholarship opportunities for students. This will be an investment in the economy skills-wise. There should be more recovery options for people who lost their jobs because of COVID-19,” Mr Sharma said “I think Government should look into the cost of living, especially VAT (Value Added Tax) free items. There needs to be an addition of basic food items and there should be more price-controlled items at supermarkets.”
Bachelor in Medicine and Bachelor in Surgery (MBBS) first-year student Achsah Sho echoed similar sentiments.
“My expectations are regarding the education sector, specifically scholarships for students because some have the opportunity to study while others do not,” she said. “Education must be a priority and Government must look at the employment sector since most are still out of jobs,” she said.