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The Higher Education Commission of Fiji is committed to ensuring that any investment of taxpayers’ dollars is justified and delivers a substantial return on investment for the government.

Commission Chair Steve Chand highlighted this following numerous claims regarding grant funding on various platforms.

Chand emphasizes that they aim to provide transparency and maintain public confidence in the Commission’s management of the grant process.

“In addition, I have all also requested all the HEIs to submit the graduate employment surveys as evidence that the graduates are gainfully employed or enter entrepreneurship upon graduation and do not remain unemployed. I have said before and I will say it once more we are not in the business of funding unemployment. This destination survey is now mandatory for all HEI’s. Failure to facilitate this will result in HECF withholding their grants.”

Chand adds that quality and employability qualifications are critically assessed.

He says that a strict check and balance is imposed adding that no funds are released as handouts.

In the 2024/2025 national budget, the tertiary institutions have been allocated $91 million.