Sainimili Magimagi 
The Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Service Board is planning to further expand access to education in the next financial year.
The focus will be on inclusivity and addressing learning disparities, especially in rural and maritime regions.
As part of its upcoming strategy, the board aims to align with the coalition government’s diversified scholarship policies.
CEO Hasmukh Lal says more students from various socio-economic backgrounds have benefitted from TSLS’s scholarship, loan, and grant programs.
“We do understand there are learning disparities, there are learning challenges, and I think they need to be given equitable attention in terms of accessing test to education.”
He added that in the upcoming national budget, emphasis will be placed on supporting students in rural and maritime areas, particularly in providing assistance to school dropouts.
Lal further highlighted that TSLS aims to explore ways of offering access to education through programs such as vocational scholarships.
He confirmed that these plans are still in the deliberation stage but will be outlined in the 2025–2026 National Budget submissions.
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