11,000 TESAS Scholarships award in 2017

A total of 11,000 scholarships have been awarded for 2017.

In a statement, Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) Minister, Francis Marus, says the scholarship comprises of 5,000 new intakes and 6,000 continuing students. “Government targeted programs include agriculture and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), also in line with government commitment to APEC policy priorities and PNG Vision 2050,” says the Minister.

“This is reflected in the 2017 awarding of the Tertiary Education Students’ Assistance Scheme (TESAS) Scholarship.

“Over the years, the majority of students have gravitated towards business, law and social science courses, where unit costs are lower and private rates of return are high relative to social rates of return.

“Parents and sponsors are urged to appreciate that Government continues to meet its obligation towards human capital development against the backdrop of a very challenging economic situation arising from falls in commodity prices.

“Stakeholders should also appreciate that Government is heavily committed to the quality of primary and secondary education, as evidenced in the K3 billion TFF Policy investment in the last five years.” Marus says parents and students have been greatly relieved of costs at lower levels.

“Thus it is only proper that some costs at this level are met directly by parents of students who have been admitted into colleges and universities.

“This is the best way to distribute limited resources on scholarships and ensure financial sustainability in the sector.”

For this year, a total of 9,999 school leavers were selected for tertiary institutions across the country.

(University of Papua New Guinea main campus last year)