The Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro, emphasized the need for greater collaboration among universities, stakeholders, and the Tertiary Scholarship and Loan Service (TSLS), asserting that students should not be viewed merely as financial resources.
Radrodro’s comments came in response to TSLS’s head of Student Service, Avinay Kumar, who highlighted the challenges students face in securing sponsorships due to communication breakdowns between universities and TSLS. During the launch of the TSLS Handbook and a Stakeholder Awareness Workshop at the Holiday Inn in Suva, Kumar noted that miscommunication has complicated students’ application processes.
Kumar provided examples of issues, such as the renaming of academic programs without informing TSLS, which has led to confusion among students. For instance, a program might be initially offered as “Professional Accounting” but later changes to “Bachelor of Professional Accounting,” while TSLS remains unaware that the university only offers a “Bachelor of Accounting.” This lack of clarity has forced students to navigate barriers in enrolling in the correct programs.
Minister Radrodro expressed his concern for students’ welfare, highlighting the importance of providing clear enrollment guidelines and appropriate programs, rather than treating them as profit-generating entities. He mentioned that feedback from university students has prompted policy changes regarding TSLS.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to preventing unnecessary confusion related to sponsorships and urged all parties to engage in constructive discussions to find effective solutions to these issues. Radrodro concluded that increased collaboration and communication are essential as they move forward.