The Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts welcomes the budget announced on 7 June 2019 by the Honourable Attorney General and Minister for the Economy. The budget emphasises this Government’s ongoing commitment to education building on its initiatives of free education, free textbooks and transport assistance to build a knowledge based society to support Fiji’s ongoing economic growth.
The budget undoubtedly presents opportunities for the Ministry to review its operations to ensure greater productivity which is already underway.
New initiatives welcomed are the school gardens, increasing the allowance for meals for Government schools and social leadership training.
School gardens is an initiative across all secondary schools, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, to promote food security, put into practice our enterprise training and develop teamwork. All schools provide lifeskills training and the social leadership training will augment this to prepare our leaders of tomorrow for the roles they will take up to take Fiji forward.
In line with acting responsibly with Fijian taxpayers’ money, the Ministry has begun to review the loopholes in the transport assistance program. This will ensure accountability through the Ministry and those who make use of the transport subsidy entrenching the values which contribute to respect and honesty, values which underpin our caring society.
Similarly, the Ministry will continue its work with the Walesi platform and development partners to promote access to the internet and technology in the classroom. This is firmly part of the review of the curriculum and building a knowledge based society. This complements the Ministry’s provision of ebooks to replace, over time, printed textbooks.
In line with ensuring accountability for taxpayers’ money, the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Board (TSLB) has and continues to review the policies which govern the various schemes it manages. As a result of this, three areas have been assessed as requiring change.
1. Higher Education “study where you live”
Several students undertake their studies in another district/division leading to additional costs in rent and meal allowances. The TSLB will now ensure that these costs are reduced by implementing the “study where you live” policy so students study at the campus closest to them where their chosen study program is offered. This will lead to:
- Tuition funding continuing irrespective of the campuses where the students choose to study;
- For Accommodation Support Scheme, preference will be given to students who study at the campus nearest to them and they will be eligible for bus fare and incidental allowances;
- Where students still prefer relocation despite the study program being offered in their locality, the allowance eligibility is restricted to bus fare and incidental allowances only. Payment for rent/hostel and meals will be the responsibility of the parents/guardians;
- Savings estimated at about $19m.
2. Only students who pass Year 13 eligible for TELS
Currently all Year 13, students irrespective of their total score in Year 13, are eligible for Tertiary Education Loan Scheme (TELS). Under the new policy, students scoring 200 or above out of 400 will be eligible for TELS to ensure improving the quality of student intake to our Higher Education Institutions leading to an expected improvement in the quality of graduates. This supports the Ministry’s vision of “Quality Education” and will encourage students to focus on working hard in High School. This will result in savings estimated at $13m.
3. Foundation Studies not considered for NTS
Students completing Foundation Studies will no longer be considered for the National Toppers Scheme with effect from 1 January 2021. However, they can still apply and be considered for TELS. Implications are:
- The number of scholarships remains the same.
- The policy change means only like to like results will be compared, giving all Fijians equal footing and a common tool (Year 13 marks) to be considered for the awards.
- The policy will eliminate students using an easier pathway to get the NTS at the expense of hardworking and economically disadvantaged students. A relatively better off parent’s child ends up doing Foundation Studies while the majority of the financially disadvantaged students continue with Year 13.
The TSLB will further assess funding for some programs at a diploma and certificate level which do not attract any credits when students register for a Bachelor’s or diploma in a university. This may result in additional cost savings.
The Ministry is committed to ensuring improved service delivery including increased accountability and productivity to support this. The budget provides a strong foundation for the Ministry to achieve this.