Tougher conditions for those on government scholarship
By Silafaga Lalua
Tuvaluan students on pre and in-service scholarships will be facing tougher conditions as of the beginning of this year.
50% will be deducted from civil servants on in-service scholarships abroad, while everyone will assessed by the semester.
According to Secretary of Education Solofa Uota, if the student does not perform well in a single semester, failing more than half of the units undertaken, their programme will be terminated, no questions asked.
Even the ones who pass have to have good passes before they will be considered to continue their studies.
This new condition applies to Tuvaluan students on government scholarship everywhere except those studying at Fiji School of Medicine, as they are being on a yearly basis.
Siemai Niko in-service training officer told Tuvalu news that the Cabinet has agreed to cut in-service scholarship awardees’ salaries by half for the whole duration of their study programmes.
This is one of the cost cutting measures for this Cabinet and Tuvalu-news understands it has come into effect at the beginning of this month.
Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia commented that this new condition is appropriate for students away studying because they are already being paid by the sponsor to keep themselves and their families, so they won’t need their salaries.
In response to the question whether there was consideration given to money problems faced by students now ? as we hear about it now and then ? he stated that they surely considered,hence the 50 percent still intact in their bank accounts each pay day.
The Cabinet decision was initially to totally cut the civil servants’ pays but after consideration of their financial commitments already in place like loan repayments they decided to leave the other 50 percent just for that.
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