The Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board and its chief executive have been directed to urgently review the suspension of National Topper’s Scheme students following its unilateral and arbitrary decision to raise GPA requirements.

Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the TSLB made a hasty decision without the government’s approval or consultation to raise the requirements for student’s academic performance under the National Topper’s Scheme.

He says before they had any real idea of what was happening, some students found themselves unfairly suspended.

The Minister says rather than rush to change the GPA requirements and suspend those students, the TSLB should have consulted with the government, educational institutions, and students.

He highlighted that that error should be remedied by the TSLB as soon as possible.

The Attorney-General yesterday met with the TSLB Board and CEO, the Dean of the FNU College of Medicine, and the Solicitor General’s office, along with a number of representatives of recently-suspended NTS students.

Sayed-Khaiyum thanked the students who opted for a solutions-first and facts-based approach by raising this issue with them directly.

During the meeting, a number of issues were also raised on the implementation of other TSLB policies.

The AG will be holding further discussions with the CEO and the Board of TSLB to review matters such as GPA requirements, the notification process, and probation and suspension protocols to ensure that decisions affecting students adhere to due process and reflect the values of fairness and transparency.

TSLB has been directed to urgently provide a detailed brief by early next week.