The University of Fiji Council has announced a 10 per cent reduction in tuition fees for all its courses and programmes from 2022.
Speaking on the announcement, the Chairperson of the Council and Pro-Chancellor Ambassador Kamlesh Arya said the Council unanimously approved the 10 per cent reduction in fees proposed by the Deans and Senior Management of the University in view of the hardship faced by students and their families due to COVID-19 and the changes to the TSLB sponsorship for NTS and TELS from 2022.
The change in TSLB sponsorship meant that many students in Year 13 in 2021 would find it difficult to proceed to higher education due to limitations inflicted by COVID-19. By reducing its fees the University of Fiji was encouraging students to attend university even as private fee-paying students by making the programmes and qualifications more affordable, Ambassador Arya said.
Everyone in Fiji had the right to higher education and the University of Fiji was facilitating this right as much as possible by making access to higher education easier and affordable, irrespective of the economic situation of students and their parents, he said.
Private fee-paying students can make payment plans with the University’s Finance Office which has extended the time for payment until the end of November 2022. The 10% fee reduction in 2022 also applied to its regional students, said Ambassador Arya.
As the People’s University, the Council is very optimistic that the fee reduction by 10% will bring financial relief to the students and their parents as well as the regional governments and the private sponsors.