scholarships

In a statement on Wednesday, the Vanuatu National Scholarship and Training Board issued new directives for students.

It included a warning that anyone refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 could have their award terminated.

The Daily Post reports the president of the Vanuatu Student Association in Fiji, Glen Bule, saying they were shocked by the directive which gives them no choice but to comply.

The board chairman, Collin Natonga, said the directive is in line with the government's ongoing effort to keep COVID-19 out of Vanuatu.

The students have been selected from Santo and Port Vila and are between Year 7 and Year 13.

“We are extremely honoured to play our part in promoting Education by offering ni-Vanuatu students with scholarships. This is the second year into the programme and similar to 2020, there have been many strong contenders this year, giving us cause for much deliberation!” said Catherine Le Bourgeois, Wanfuteng Bank’s CEO.

The scholarship programme is worth up to Vt1,000,000.

The scholarship is open to all Ni-Vanuatu students, who are residents of Port Vila and are enrolled in Foundation courses at USP Emalus Campus in the first semester.

The scholarships will only cover tuition fees for 1 Foundation course per student per semester.

“Scholarships will be awarded based on academic performance; on Secondary School results or students beginning Foundation-level studies and on GPA for continuing Foundation-level students.”

RNZ reports the public sector is the largest single employer of women across the Pacific but the research presented to a Commonwealth gathering in Apia on Wednesday shows they are significantly under-represented in the top jobs.

Papua New Guinea reported only 7 percent of its senior government roles were held by women but Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati were performing well with up to 50 percent, according to Nicole Haley of the Australian National University.

While making the announcement, Istanbul-based Vanuatu Honourary Consul Mehmet Atar says in Turkey, they regard ni-Vanuatu students as part of “our family, our brothers and sisters”.

Honourary Consul Atar visited one of the students, Maureen Paul from Tangoa on Santo, in Ankara before last weekend.