The Higher Education Commission has encouraged the 13 education institutes to utilize the operations grants appropriately and not to purchase assets or capital.

This was highlighted by the Chair of the Fiji Higher Education Commission Steve Chand during the Government Grant Signing Ceremony for all institutions receiving government funding for the year 2025.

Chand says in the past they have found that some institutes used the operational grants to purchase assets and he requested the institutes present to refrain from such practices.

The chair adds that the 13 Higher Education Institutes was allocated a total sum $88.7m for the 2024-2025 financial year.

He states that the commission will continue to actively monitor grant utilization to ensure accountability of public funds.

“This funding aims to boost the competitiveness of our Fijians workforce over the medium to long term by giving our students access to high-quality education and professional training.”

Chand also emphasized that Higher Education Commission will monitor all intuitions through their quarterly acquittals.

He adds that these funding represents the government’s commitment to improving education and also the trust places in each institution to use the resources effectively.