Lautoka resident Christal Kapoor hopes there will be more funding to assist tertiary students and institutions.
“What I want to see in the budget is more educational funding opportunities because I feel that TELS (Tertiary Educational Loan Scheme) was good because a lot of students could afford to pursue tertiary education and then pay it off later,” Kapoor said.
“Yes, a lot of people found challenges of finding jobs after graduation but that problem has always been there from the start.
Unemployment has always been an issue but the funds for tertiary education were made easier through TELS and Toppers.
“So I hope Government provides a better alternative or keep continuing these educational funding schemes.”
She said scholarship and loan schemes could also lead to the loss of Fiji’s skilled labour force.
“I speak to a lot of young people and a lot of them have a lot of uncertainties on what they are going to do in the future. They wonder if there is any hope for them in this country because they don’t seem to have a lot of faith in the Government in terms of funding for their tertiary or higher education.
“That is also one of the reasons most of them are thinking of leaving for overseas jobs which could also lead to a shortage of skilled labour.
“Hopefully Government looks into that.”
