The Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) debt currently stands at around $600 million, says Education Minister Premila Kumar.
She made the comment in Parliament and said TELS spending on tuition and accommodation were $101 million in 2018-2019, $109 million in 2019-2020, $67 million in 2020-2021, and $114 million in 2021-2022.
Mrs Kumar said Fiji on average spends almost 20 per cent of the total Government expenditure on education, which equates to over 6 per cent of the GDP.
On average, she said the Government had spent approximately $700 million annually on education which included payment of teachers’ wage and salaries, free education, transport assistance, operating grant for tertiary institutions, and funding through TELS and Toppers – approximately $130 million.
Mrs Kumar said despite the fiscal challenges, the ministry had ensured the education sector spending was not affected.
“We have been paying teachers, despite many calling for a pay-cut for our teachers just because they were at home,” she said.
