No two sets of scholarships for Fijians

Making a submission to the Constitution Commission at Khemendra College in Savusavu, a student of Savusavu Secondary said that scholarships should be awarded on merit.

Krishal Kumar, a Form 7s student said, “There should be a platform for giving scholarships to the qualified students irrespective of their race and ethnic background.”

He said all people born in Fiji are Fijians so there should not be two sets of scholarships if we all are considered Fijians.

Sharing his sentiments of being a Fijian, Kumar said, “We should be all called Fijians but it should not just be written down in the Constitution, it should also be practiced in real life.”

He also stated that there was a different cut off mark for the i-taukei students and a separate one for the ‘others’.

“For example, if  there are 700 scholarships then the best 700 should be chosen without considering race or gender,” Kumar added.

Meanwhile, another student from Savusavu Secondary, Uday Prasad proposed that parents paying school or university fee should be given tax allowance as some people have more than one child attending these institutions.

The two students have also proposed for the President of Fiji to be elected through voting by the people of Fiji.

By Indrani Krishna