Students enrolled in the Tertiary Scholarships and Loan Scheme (TSLS) who are working full-time are violating their bonding agreement, according to TSLS CEO Hasmukh Lal. Mr. Lal emphasized that the scheme permits only part-time work, capped at 20 hours per week during their study term.
“Students under the TSLS scheme working full-time have breached their agreement,” he stated. “The bonding agreement clearly stipulates that scholarship recipients cannot engage in any employment unless permitted by the scheme.”
He noted that part-time work is allowed to provide students with industry exposure and help boost the workforce. However, if students take on full-time employment while studying full-time, their scholarship will be terminated immediately.
Mr. Lal mentioned that there have been no reports of such violations thus far and that any concerns would need to be raised by the public for investigations to occur.
“If students need to work part-time, they must seek our approval, which we will grant,” he explained. “But if someone is working full-time while studying full-time, we will conduct an investigation and act according to the agreement once we receive a whistleblower complaint.”
He added that up to now, no cases or complaints have been reported from the public.