BY NED GAGAHE

The Solomon Islands Government has confirmed that 1,038 scholarships will be available for the 2024-2025 academic year, marking an increase of just 38 scholarships compared to last year.

Constance Nasi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills Authority (SITESA), made the revelation during the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing on Monday.

Mrs. Nasi also confirmed that the number of scholarships allocated to each constituency would remain the same at four scholarships per constituency.

The assessment of scholarship applications, which closed on October 15 this year, is progressing smoothly.

John Iromea, Director at SITESA, revealed that by the end of December 2024, the SITESA aims to have a tentative list of selected candidates.

Opposition Leader Matthew Wale raised concerns during the hearing, questioning the delay in finalizing the scholarship results.

Mr. Iromea explained that the delay was due to the administrative process.

“As you might be aware, it’s a tiring and challenging role, and we’ve faced some circumstances that were beyond our control.

“However, we are working within our timeline, and by the end of next month, we should have a tentative list of selected candidates,” he said.