“I was so fortunate to get National Toppers Scholarship since my primary and secondary school’s hard work finally paid off.”
These were the words of Mohammed Jamsid who recently graduated with Bachelors of Software Engineering degree from the University of the South Pacific.
Mr Jamsid was one of the many Fijians who got the opportunity to pursue their dream career after being selected to have an “all expenses paid education” from the NTS scheme which was set up by the Government in 2014. Coming from a middle income family with three children, it would have been difficult for his parents to foot his tuition fees as they run a small family business.
The NTS scheme helped Mr Jamsid pursue his career in Computing Science & Information System after completing Year 13 studies with a high marks.
“Our family business (Janif enterprise) was established in 2013 and was not earning much and my parents would have faced difficulties in paying my tuition fees. However thanks to the Government, I was awarded NTS scholarship which was a great help for me and my family,” he explained.
According to the aspiring IT professional, if it hadn’t been for the NTS set up by the Government, then he would have been relying on his family to pay for his tuition fee.
“I would have been a burden on my family because my parents have struggled a lot in my upbringing and they would have struggled more if I wasn’t given NTS,” Mr Jamsid remarked.
Having two young boys stepping into tertiary level education would have been a difficult part for many families in Fiji considering the high cost of university tuition fees.
However, with the introduction of scholarships like NTS by the Government, many families like the Jamsid’s can be assured that their child can pursue their dream.
“It would have been very difficult for my parents to support me and my younger brother at the same time but luckily, I got the NTS scholarship which helped me to complete my studies at USP,” Mr Jamsid stated.
He said while studying on NTS, there were many advantages with one being that he did not have to worry about anything because the Government assistance catered for everything which enabled him to focus on his studies.
“My tuition fee, halls fee and allowance was paid on time and all this helped a lot in my day-to-day expenses.” Mr Jamsid thanked the Government for helping him and this has made him more resolute in achieving his ambitions in life.
“My goal is to become a successful person and contribute towards the development of my country because the Government helped me in graduating and I got a job as a graduate programmer at USP,” he said.
Mr Jamsid has advised the students studying on NTS that their parents struggle should not be forgotten but rather be used as a reminder to work hard.
“NTS students are so fortunate that they got assistance from the Government. Many students didn’t get what they expected and also our parents never had that opportunity which we are getting now, so make the best use of it,” he added.
At the end of the day, Mr Jamsid said through the many scholarships offered now, students can complete their studies and become successful and help their parents. The NTS scheme provides a full scholarship only for the top ranked students.
It is for students who have completed their Year 13 in a year preceding the award year and are ranked as national toppers in their applied priority areas of study.
NTS is awarded to those who wish to pursue their undergraduate degree in one of the priority areas at an approved Higher Education Institution.
The scholarship is awarded only in fields which fall under the priority areas established by the Fijian Government.
Currently the combined number of awards for NTS Local and Overseas studies is 970 spread between the 12 priority areas of the Fijian Government.
The exact number of awards, the distribution of the awards within the priority areas and the minimum cut off marks for each of the priority areas is reviewed on an annual basis.
Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) is a fund intended to provide financing to Fijian students who have qualified for higher education in approved institutions of higher learning but are unable to support themselves financially.
The scheme provides student loans to eligible citizens of Fiji to enable them access into higher education at affordable rates and increase equitable access to higher education in the country in line with the Fijian Government’s vision of “Building a Smarter Fiji”.