Government of the Republic of Fiji
Government of the Republic of Fiji
09/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/29/2024 21:31
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION HON. ASERI RADRODRO'S MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
TSLS DELEGATION VISIT TO OVERSEAS SPONSORED STUDENTS, PARTNER UNIVERSITIES AND THE BILATERAL MEETING WITH DFAT
The Honourable Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Leader of Opposition, and fellow Members of Parliament, and all those joining us live through livestream from across the globe and from the comforts of their homes.
Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for the opportunity to present my ministerial statement on the recent TSLS delegation visitation which I led to Sydney and Canberra Australia and the outcomes achieved.
Mr Speaker sir, it would be remiss of me not to mention that this is the first time that, the Government, in this case the Coalition Government has set budgetary allocation to visit sponsored students studying under the TSLS overseas scholarships in Australia and New Zealand. Similar visit is done by other governments across the globe who sponsor students at universities overseas.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the purpose of the visit is to check on student wellbeing and welfare and have direct audience with university executives and students in order to work out solutions raised by students or the respective universities. The visit coincided with strengthening and expanding partnerships with the universities.
Mr. Speaker Sir, TSLS was established in 2014 and the overseas scholarships started in 2019 under the organisation. There was no visit to the students until 2023.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this year I was fortunate to be part of the TSLS delegation which included the TSLS Boad Chair Ro Teimumu Kepa, The Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Hasmukh Lal, and staff from the TSLS and the MOE. Universities visited included the University of New South Wales, Western Sydney University, The University of Newcastle, and University of Canberra.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in addition to the intentions of the travel, the Coalition Government introduced a new scheme in the current financial year to have more Fiji citizens to access PhD scholarships to boost Fiji's human capital. This is the newly introduced scheme called Cost Sharing Overseas PhD Scholarship. Under this agreement the universities will cover tuition fee while TSLS will pay stipend, airfare and any other cost associated with the study. As such, the taxpayers of Fiji will save $300,000 tuition fee for a four-year PhD programme and will have graduates of top quality.
Mr. Speaker Sir, on the 3rd of July 2024, the University of Newcastle was the first university to come on board the Cost Sharing Overseas PhD initiative. During the visit, I witnessed the signing of the Cost Sharing Overseas PhD MOU between TSLS and the University of New South Wales and Western Sydney University. I thank these two universities for development perspective towards Fiji.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I also gained the opportunity to visit the world class Brumbies sports facility at the University of Canberra where TSLS will send prospective students to pursue a qualification in Sports Science and Sports Medicine. This is a model where university has a partnership facility for learning, teaching, research and sports excellence with ACT Brumbies.
Mr. Speaker Sir, during the visit to the four universities the delegation emphasized to the Universities the intentions of the scholarship investment design in developing Human Capital, particularly on the introduction of a new overseas scheme called Scholarships for Merit Based Postgraduate Diploma/Specialisation; In-Service Overseas training and the increased quota in the Scholarships for Merit Based Undergraduate Overseas Scheme from 40 awards to 80 awards. The Universities were also requested to ensure pastoral care is provided to assist students in adjusting to the fast-paced environment of learning they are in whereby peer mentoring services to students is emphasized to assist students in coping with their academic requirements.
Mr. Speaker Sir, during the meeting with the students, they were notified on the TSLS policy changes such as increase in bond service from 1.5 times to 2.5 times, increase in termination penalty up to 50% for students who default their bond service and special emphasis was on scholarship academic obligations since the probation period has decreased from three probations to two probations.
Mr. Speaker Sir, after visiting the sponsored students at the four universities, I was overwhelmed with the response that was received from the students. The sponsored students commended the Coalition Government for providing them with the opportunity to undertake programmes at an overseas university. The students also commended the support services provided by the universities and TSLS in achieving their educational goals overseas and assisting them in adapting to the new environment overseas. The sponsored students showed commitment towards completing their programmes and returning to serve the country. I assured the students that the Coalition Government will continue to assist and invest in the youths as they are the future of the country and as such it is the responsibility of the sponsored students to serve their scholarship bond.
Minister Speaker, Sir, the students highly acknowledged the visit as it was motivational, and they saw Government's seriousness and commitment to the studies. It costs Government $300,000 to fund one undergraduate student in the overseas scholarship scheme when compared to $30,000 to $40,000 at a local university. To have commensurate return of service to the country against the investment, the bonding for overseas scholarship is now 2.5 times duration of the study.
Mr. Speaker Sir, upon meeting with the sponsored students at the universities, I was alerted on the need to review the education curriculum to allow students a smooth transition from secondary school to the universities. Specifically in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. It was highlighted in the visit that there is vast difference between what is learnt in Year 13 in Fiji and what is taught in the universities in overseas. The sponsored students were assured that the Curriculum innovation and transformation from ECE to senior secondary is one of priority areas of the Ministry and as such the Ministry is working on reviewing the curriculum.
Mr. Speaker Sir, under the overseas scholarship schemes, TSLS funds for programmes which are part of national priority areas but not offered by the local universities. A total of sixty (60) students are currently enrolled in areas such as Cyber Security, Software Engineering, Veterinary Science, Data Science, Actuarial Science, Forensic Science, Architectural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Speech Pathology and Renewable Energy at the New Zealand and Australia based universities. With the increase in scholarship quota at the undergraduate level and introduction of new scholarship schemes, more Fiji citizens will be pursuing quality education in Australia and New Zealand.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Fiji is faced with competing priorities and challenges and for Government to alone invest in skilling people to mitigate gaps in our workforce is a challenge with other competing national priorities therefore, during the visit, I had the opportunity to lead the delegation to the bilateral meeting with DFAT where the delegation was joined by His Excellency Ajay Bhai Amrit, Fiji's High Commissioner to Australia, who coordinated the meeting.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Fiji has lost approximately 2.5% of its population through permanent and circular migration. It is evident that Australia is the one highly preferred destination country. It is noted that the Australian Awards Scholarships are given to our citizens, which we highly acknowledge but there is no monitoring in place on how long the graduates effectively serve in Fiji following graduation. As such our bilateral meeting with DFAT in Canberra discussed ways the students on the Australia Awards can be bonded by the Fiji Government through TSLS. This will ensure that Fiji does not lose Australian Scholarship Award graduates, and they serve at-least minimum of 5 years in Fiji and be cleared from the bond service by TSLS.
Mr. Speaker Sir, amongst other discussions with DFAT, the delegation acknowledged the Australian Government in its budget support to the Fiji government and made recommendations that the Australia Government considers providing targeted funding for specific job skills training under the Vuvale partnership. We proposed budgetary support towards vocational programs and degree programs which are offered by local universities in the areas where Fiji lacks the discipline and skills shortage.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Curriculum innovation and transformation from ECE to senior secondary is one of the priority areas discussed with DFAT. The Ministry is working to develop a concept of curriculum innovation and transformation. We are pleased to inform this August House that DFAT has assured support for Fiji's curriculum review which will be assisted in parallel with the Australian curriculum review.
Mr. Speaker Sir, as curriculum is reviewed and enhanced, it is expected that teacher skills will need to be upgraded and this was also discussed with DFAT to set up a teacher up-skilling platform on digital training and assessments. The MOE Mr. Speaker has started dialogue with other bilateral partners on assistance for online learning for both teachers and students and DAFT along with the World Bank and ADB are some such agencies.
Mr. Speaker Sir, it must be celebrated that Fiji on the education front, is expanding its scholarships on its own and through partnerships with Australian universities for example on PhDs. The intentions whereby TSLS is the driving force along with the Fiji Higher Education Commission and our stakeholder tertiary providers, we wish to inculcate a culture of research driven policies that encapsulate innovations and entrepreneurship for development resolutions In doing so, the MOE is driving the establishment of a Fiji National Research Council or a proxy to allow researchers to receive grants to conduct research on government policies and challenges. A proxy can be a model to begin with research grant based at TSLS and then full scoping to establish an entity on its own.
Mr. Speaker Sir, during the visit by the TSLS delegation, we were also able to secure the pro bono services of two distinguished Professors who are from Fiji to help in the establishment of the Research Council. They are Professor Dharmen Sharma, from University of Canberra and Professor Satish Chand, from University of New South Wales. We are very grateful to the gentleman for their support towards the development of Fiji's research capabilities and we will look forward to the support of our other esteemed sons and daughters of Fiji in the area of education research to join us in this noble development intention.
On that note Mr. Speaker Sir, I am also pleased to report that DFAT has assured the assistance of the Australia Research Council to help in the setting up of Fiji's National Research Council which had been agreed by law to be set up in 2017 under the, National Research Council Act, 2017, (NRC Act) which however is yet to be implemented.
Mr. Speaker Sir, to conclude, the investment that Government is doing in quality education and in research degrees, Fiji will reap benefit in 3 to 4 years' time and beyond. We need a strong and bold vision in education to ensure we build an inclusive nation that empowers our citizens. With the Coalition Governments commitment to education, we will definitely make major inroads in our development intentions accordingly Mr Speaker and we thank all stakeholder's working with us to make these aspirations happen.
VINAKA
The Honourable Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Leader of Opposition, and fellow Members of Parliament, and all those joining us live through livestream from across the globe and from the comforts of their homes.
Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for the opportunity to present my ministerial statement on the recent TSLS delegation visitation which I led to Sydney and Canberra Australia and the outcomes achieved.
Mr Speaker sir, it would be remiss of me not to mention that this is the first time that, the Government, in this case the Coalition Government has set budgetary allocation to visit sponsored students studying under the TSLS overseas scholarships in Australia and New Zealand. Similar visit is done by other governments across the globe who sponsor students at universities overseas.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the purpose of the visit is to check on student wellbeing and welfare and have direct audience with university executives and students in order to work out solutions raised by students or the respective universities. The visit coincided with strengthening and expanding partnerships with the universities.
Mr. Speaker Sir, TSLS was established in 2014 and the overseas scholarships started in 2019 under the organisation. There was no visit to the students until 2023.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this year I was fortunate to be part of the TSLS delegation which included the TSLS Boad Chair Ro Teimumu Kepa, The Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Hasmukh Lal, and staff from the TSLS and the MOE. Universities visited included the University of New South Wales, Western Sydney University, The University of Newcastle, and University of Canberra.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in addition to the intentions of the travel, the Coalition Government introduced a new scheme in the current financial year to have more Fiji citizens to access PhD scholarships to boost Fiji's human capital. This is the newly introduced scheme called Cost Sharing Overseas PhD Scholarship. Under this agreement the universities will cover tuition fee while TSLS will pay stipend, airfare and any other cost associated with the study. As such, the taxpayers of Fiji will save $300,000 tuition fee for a four-year PhD programme and will have graduates of top quality.
Mr. Speaker Sir, on the 3rd of July 2024, the University of Newcastle was the first university to come on board the Cost Sharing Overseas PhD initiative. During the visit, I witnessed the signing of the Cost Sharing Overseas PhD MOU between TSLS and the University of New South Wales and Western Sydney University. I thank these two universities for development perspective towards Fiji.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I also gained the opportunity to visit the world class Brumbies sports facility at the University of Canberra where TSLS will send prospective students to pursue a qualification in Sports Science and Sports Medicine. This is a model where university has a partnership facility for learning, teaching, research and sports excellence with ACT Brumbies.
Mr. Speaker Sir, during the visit to the four universities the delegation emphasized to the Universities the intentions of the scholarship investment design in developing Human Capital, particularly on the introduction of a new overseas scheme called Scholarships for Merit Based Postgraduate Diploma/Specialisation; In-Service Overseas training and the increased quota in the Scholarships for Merit Based Undergraduate Overseas Scheme from 40 awards to 80 awards. The Universities were also requested to ensure pastoral care is provided to assist students in adjusting to the fast-paced environment of learning they are in whereby peer mentoring services to students is emphasized to assist students in coping with their academic requirements.
Mr. Speaker Sir, during the meeting with the students, they were notified on the TSLS policy changes such as increase in bond service from 1.5 times to 2.5 times, increase in termination penalty up to 50% for students who default their bond service and special emphasis was on scholarship academic obligations since the probation period has decreased from three probations to two probations.
Mr. Speaker Sir, after visiting the sponsored students at the four universities, I was overwhelmed with the response that was received from the students. The sponsored students commended the Coalition Government for providing them with the opportunity to undertake programmes at an overseas university. The students also commended the support services provided by the universities and TSLS in achieving their educational goals overseas and assisting them in adapting to the new environment overseas. The sponsored students showed commitment towards completing their programmes and returning to serve the country. I assured the students that the Coalition Government will continue to assist and invest in the youths as they are the future of the country and as such it is the responsibility of the sponsored students to serve their scholarship bond.
Minister Speaker, Sir, the students highly acknowledged the visit as it was motivational, and they saw Government's seriousness and commitment to the studies. It costs Government $300,000 to fund one undergraduate student in the overseas scholarship scheme when compared to $30,000 to $40,000 at a local university. To have commensurate return of service to the country against the investment, the bonding for overseas scholarship is now 2.5 times duration of the study.
Mr. Speaker Sir, upon meeting with the sponsored students at the universities, I was alerted on the need to review the education curriculum to allow students a smooth transition from secondary school to the universities. Specifically in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. It was highlighted in the visit that there is vast difference between what is learnt in Year 13 in Fiji and what is taught in the universities in overseas. The sponsored students were assured that the Curriculum innovation and transformation from ECE to senior secondary is one of priority areas of the Ministry and as such the Ministry is working on reviewing the curriculum.
Mr. Speaker Sir, under the overseas scholarship schemes, TSLS funds for programmes which are part of national priority areas but not offered by the local universities. A total of sixty (60) students are currently enrolled in areas such as Cyber Security, Software Engineering, Veterinary Science, Data Science, Actuarial Science, Forensic Science, Architectural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Speech Pathology and Renewable Energy at the New Zealand and Australia based universities. With the increase in scholarship quota at the undergraduate level and introduction of new scholarship schemes, more Fiji citizens will be pursuing quality education in Australia and New Zealand.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Fiji is faced with competing priorities and challenges and for Government to alone invest in skilling people to mitigate gaps in our workforce is a challenge with other competing national priorities therefore, during the visit, I had the opportunity to lead the delegation to the bilateral meeting with DFAT where the delegation was joined by His Excellency Ajay Bhai Amrit, Fiji's High Commissioner to Australia, who coordinated the meeting.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Fiji has lost approximately 2.5% of its population through permanent and circular migration. It is evident that Australia is the one highly preferred destination country. It is noted that the Australian Awards Scholarships are given to our citizens, which we highly acknowledge but there is no monitoring in place on how long the graduates effectively serve in Fiji following graduation. As such our bilateral meeting with DFAT in Canberra discussed ways the students on the Australia Awards can be bonded by the Fiji Government through TSLS. This will ensure that Fiji does not lose Australian Scholarship Award graduates, and they serve at-least minimum of 5 years in Fiji and be cleared from the bond service by TSLS.
Mr. Speaker Sir, amongst other discussions with DFAT, the delegation acknowledged the Australian Government in its budget support to the Fiji government and made recommendations that the Australia Government considers providing targeted funding for specific job skills training under the Vuvale partnership. We proposed budgetary support towards vocational programs and degree programs which are offered by local universities in the areas where Fiji lacks the discipline and skills shortage.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Curriculum innovation and transformation from ECE to senior secondary is one of the priority areas discussed with DFAT. The Ministry is working to develop a concept of curriculum innovation and transformation. We are pleased to inform this August House that DFAT has assured support for Fiji's curriculum review which will be assisted in parallel with the Australian curriculum review.
Mr. Speaker Sir, as curriculum is reviewed and enhanced, it is expected that teacher skills will need to be upgraded and this was also discussed with DFAT to set up a teacher up-skilling platform on digital training and assessments. The MOE Mr. Speaker has started dialogue with other bilateral partners on assistance for online learning for both teachers and students and DAFT along with the World Bank and ADB are some such agencies.
Mr. Speaker Sir, it must be celebrated that Fiji on the education front, is expanding its scholarships on its own and through partnerships with Australian universities for example on PhDs. The intentions whereby TSLS is the driving force along with the Fiji Higher Education Commission and our stakeholder tertiary providers, we wish to inculcate a culture of research driven policies that encapsulate innovations and entrepreneurship for development resolutions In doing so, the MOE is driving the establishment of a Fiji National Research Council or a proxy to allow researchers to receive grants to conduct research on government policies and challenges. A proxy can be a model to begin with research grant based at TSLS and then full scoping to establish an entity on its own.
Mr. Speaker Sir, during the visit by the TSLS delegation, we were also able to secure the pro bono services of two distinguished Professors who are from Fiji to help in the establishment of the Research Council. They are Professor Dharmen Sharma, from University of Canberra and Professor Satish Chand, from University of New South Wales. We are very grateful to the gentleman for their support towards the development of Fiji's research capabilities and we will look forward to the support of our other esteemed sons and daughters of Fiji in the area of education research to join us in this noble development intention.
On that note Mr. Speaker Sir, I am also pleased to report that DFAT has assured the assistance of the Australia Research Council to help in the setting up of Fiji's National Research Council which had been agreed by law to be set up in 2017 under the, National Research Council Act, 2017, (NRC Act) which however is yet to be implemented.
Mr. Speaker Sir, to conclude, the investment that Government is doing in quality education and in research degrees, Fiji will reap benefit in 3 to 4 years' time and beyond. We need a strong and bold vision in education to ensure we build an inclusive nation that empowers our citizens. With the Coalition Governments commitment to education, we will definitely make major inroads in our development intentions accordingly Mr Speaker and we thank all stakeholder's working with us to make these aspirations happen.
VINAKA