The Solomon Islands government has axed the scholarships for 179 students studying in Fiji because of poor grades.
The Education Ministry's permanent secretary, Franco Rodie, told local media the students were mostly based at the University of the South Pacific in Suva.
Through his secretary, Mr Rodie confirmed the report to RNZ Pacific but declined to be interviewed.
Mr. Franco Rodie confirmed that the move was in line with government policy to ensure students perform to standards.
Mr Rodie added that the government wants "value for money".
Meanwhile, Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) has called for greater transparency in the National Training Committee (NTC) and National Training Unit (NTU) when awarding scholarships. TSI stated that the recent termination of 179 students studying in USP at Laucala Campus in Fiji is a clear manifestation of awarding scholarship to students who doesn’t meet the scholarship selection criteria.
Source: Radio New Zealand