Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697750490549.pdf (Fiji)
BILL NO.

38 OF 2015 A BILL FOR AN ACT TO AMEND THE TERTIARY SCHOLARSHIP AND LOANS DECREE 2014 ENACTED by the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji— 1.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans (Amendment) Short title and commencement Act 2015.

(2) This Act shall come into force on the date of its publication in the Gazette.

(3) In this Act, the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Decree 2014 shall be referred to as the “Decree”.

2.
Section 2 of the Decree is amended in the definition of “student” by— Section 2 amended (a) deleting “or” in paragraph (b); (b) deleting “.” in paragraph (c); and 2 (c) inserting the following new paragraphs after paragraph (c)— “(d) is an employee earning an annual income of not more than $25,000 and seeks to attain academic qualification or upgrade existing qualifications at an eligible institution either as a part-time or full- time student; or (e) is an employee working in the public service and seeks to attain academic qualification or upgrade existing qualifications at an eligible institution.” 3.
Schedule 2 to the Decree is amended— Schedule 2 amended (a) in paragraph 1 by deleting “previous” and inserting “preceding the current year” after “year”; and (b) by inserting the following new paragraphs after paragraph 7— “8.

Tertiary Education Scheme (TES) for students with special needs This scheme shall apply to students with special needs.

9.

Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) for Technical College students This scheme shall apply to students enrolled in Technical Colleges.

10.
Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) for post-graduate students This scheme shall apply to students enrolled in post-graduate programmes in subject areas approved by Cabinet.” Tertiary Scholarship and Loans (Amendment)— of 2015 3 Office of the Attorney-General Suvavou House Suva November 2015 TERTIARY SCHOLARSHIP AND LOANS (AMENDMENT) BILL 2015 ________ EXPLANATORY NOTE (This note is not part of the Bill and is only intended to indicate its general effect) 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 3.0 3.1 BACKGROUND To ensure that every young individual has access to tertiary education and is not prevented from pursuing higher education due to lack of financial support, the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Decree 2014 (‘Decree’) was introduced.
With a system now in place whereby the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board is responsible for the facilitation of scholarships and loans under the Decree, it is necessary to amend the Decree to allow for more individuals to pursue their tertiary studies.

This is in line with Government’s commitment to improve access to education at all levels which in effect extends the application of the Decree to a broader audience.

CLAUSES Clause 1 provides for the short title and commencement date.
Clause 2 expands the definition of “student” by including those who are in the workforce, that is, an employee earning an annual income of not more than $25,000 as well as those working in the public service.
Clause 3 amends Schedule 2 to the Decree by providing three additional schemes – Tertiary Education Scheme for students with special needs, Tertiary Education Loans Scheme for Technical College students and Tertiary Education Loans Scheme for students enrolled in post-graduate programmes in subject areas approved by Cabinet.

MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILTY The Decree comes under the responsibility of the Minister responsible for Education.
A. SAYED-KHAIYUM Attorney-General Price: 35c S. NAVUNILAWA, Government Printer, Suva, Fiji – 2015 38/A/15—900 Official Printer Since 1883