THE FijiFirst Government has betrayed the youths of this country by failing to live up to its promises, says Opposition spokesman for youth and sports Ratu Suliano Matanitobua.
He made the comments while speaking in response to President Jioji Konrote’s Parliament opening speech.
Ratu Suliano said Government duped youths by promising them one laptop per child and failed to deliver.
“The unfulfilled promise of ‘one laptop per child’ which was firstly reduced to one smartphone per child and then further depleted to one electronic gadget per child,” he said.
“Not a single student in Fiji has received that, which demonstrates the point as to how the youth and students of this country were hoodwinked by the FijiFirst Government.”
Ratu Suliano also said the management and continuous reform of the Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) which has “narrowed and compromised the scope and concept of education for all”.
“That is denying the right to our youth and those who seek higher education,” he added.
He added that discriminatory practices against the interests and aspirations of the youth and those who sought higher education by the Toppers Scheme would create an elite educational class in Fiji.
He said these students “were likely to flee and add value to other economies other than our own given the working conditions, pay scale and high cost of living”.
