New students waiting for new scholarships to undertake university studies this year are complaining that the National Training Unit in the Ministry Education and Human Resources Development are slow in dealing with their case.
A visit to the NTU saw students queuing up in front of the office doors, eager to see any available officers with the new academic commencing next month."NTU is very slow and they should leave the old students and deal with us first," a disgruntled former form seven student, Philip Kay, told Solomon Times.
Mr. Kay said that new students selected should be leaving this week "but due to delay from the NTU office, it has been moved to next week".
Solomon Times gathered that the NTU is currently still focusing on extension students who are trying to secure space at the main campus in Suva, Fiji, to complete outstanding units.
Speaking with the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Education, Ms. Maelyn Kuve, she said that the National Training Unit had a meeting today.
Ms. Kuve said that the meeting had agreed that priority be placed on the new students.
"I told the NTU to leave the extension students and first focus on the new ones," said Ms. Kuve.
She revealed that new awards are in place for last year's form seven students "but it depends on their GPA aggregates".
The newly sworn-in PS Education said that NTU is now screening aggregates of the new students and "the focus will be on students with marks above the GPA".
"NTU will also want to know how many units each student would like to take up, which is why it's been agreed in the meeting that the focus will be on new students," Ms. Kuve said.
She said that students with grading below the GPA are not put into consideration by the NTU.
"I have informed NTU that ongoing students and extension students will have to wait until all the new students are dealt with," Ms. Kuve said.
The PS Education said it is hoped all that is to be done for new students should be completed for next week's departure for Laucala Campus in Suva.