The government incurs a cost of $300,000 to support one undergraduate student through its overseas scholarship program, significantly higher than the $30,000 to $40,000 required for local university attendance. This information was shared by Education Minister Aseri Radrodro during his Ministerial statement to Parliament on Monday, September 30. The statement addressed the recent visit of the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Service (TSLS) delegation to Sydney and Canberra, Australia.
Minister Radrodro explained that to ensure a proportional return of service relative to this investment, the bonding period for overseas scholarships has been adjusted to 2.5 times the length of study. He also mentioned the introduction of a new scheme aimed at increasing access to PhD scholarships for Fijian citizens to enhance Fiji’s human resources.
This scheme, named Cost Sharing Overseas PhD Scholarship, entails that participating universities will take care of tuition fees, while TSLS will cover stipends, airfare, and other associated costs. As a result, taxpayers in Fiji will see savings of $300,000 in tuition fees for a four-year PhD program, leading to the graduation of highly qualified individuals.
The University of Newcastle was the first institution to join the Cost Sharing Overseas PhD initiative. Additionally, the purpose of the delegation’s visit was to assess student well-being and welfare, as well as to engage directly with university officials and students to address any challenges they might face.