THE Government approved additional pre-service and in-service scholarships that will cater for more than 300 students who missed out in the initial awards due to lack of funding.
The decision will ensure more Solomon Islanders undertake tertiary studies at the Solomon Islands National University and Pacific regional institutions.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare made the announcement following Cabinet’s approval of a Cabinet Paper by the Minister for Education and Human Resources Moffat Fugui, recommending the provision of extra scholarships.
Mr Fugui in his recommendation said the demand for tertiary education has increased considerably as more and more senior high school students, particularly Form 7 students, are doing well in their examinations and therefore qualify for tertiary education.
The criteria for pre-service scholarships are the attainment of a GPA (Grades Point Average) of 3.00 and above along with a letter of acceptance by the preferred institute of study.
As for in-service scholarships, the criteria are a letter of acceptance by preferred educational institution, job training needs and age.
Mr Sogavare said the additional scholarships are estimated to cost the government a total of $17,351,398.80, adding that this is a worthwhile investment by the government in the country’s human resources development.
He said by June this year, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development will come up with alternative options for scholarship funding for 2017.
One of the proposed options is for the government to provide co-sponsorship scholarships to ensure more Solomon Islanders are assisted by the government in pursuing their dreams for higher educational training and qualification.
In another positive development, Mr Sogavare also announced that Cabinet has also agreed for the Minister for Finance and Treasury to issue Contingency Warrant in the sum of $3,094,507.00 to meet tertiary education expenses of 50 Solomon Islands students who had been offered admission at various Papua New Guinea tertiary institutions in 2016 under the PNG Government-funded scholarship scheme.
He said this is to ensure that any further delays in the implementation of this schemed by Port Moresby does not affect the students as it had in the past.
