The Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro, emphasized the need for enhanced collaboration among universities, stakeholders, and the Tertiary Scholarship and Loan Service (TSLS), underscoring that students should not be viewed merely as sources of revenue.
Radrodro’s remarks came in response to comments made by Avinay Kumar, the head of Student Service at TSLS, who revealed instances of students facing difficulties in securing sponsorships due to communication breakdowns between universities and TSLS.
During the launch of the TSLS Handbook and Stakeholder Awareness Workshop at the Holiday Inn in Suva, Kumar explained that these miscommunications had led to confusion for students during the application process. He cited examples where a course name was changed without notifying TSLS, causing discrepancies between what students were offered and what TSLS recognized.
Kumar mentioned a specific case in which a program was renamed from Professional Accounting to Bachelor of Professional Accounting, yet TSLS was only aware of the original Bachelor of Accounting offering. This lack of clarity often resulted in students needing to navigate the enrollment process multiple times to find the correct study program.
Radrodro highlighted the importance of prioritizing student welfare to ensure they receive accurate enrollment information and suitable programs, rather than being treated solely as financial contributors. He noted that changes have been implemented in response to feedback from students, particularly concerning issues such as course availability and resource allocation at universities that could hinder students from completing their studies.
The Minister affirmed the government’s dedication to preventing unnecessary confusion regarding student sponsorships and called for greater collaboration and discussions between all parties involved to effectively tackle these challenges.