The Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Service will work closely with all tertiary institutions to obtain the academic progress of students in the first quarter of the semester.

This will help TSLS identify at-risk students and determine if they can work with the respective universities to assist and bring them up to par.

Chief Executive, Hasmukh Lal says the academic progress assessment will help them identify slow starters, those who have failed initial assignments and assessments, and those lacking genuine commitment to complete their semester courses.

“We want to identify these students and sit down with the university to determine what kind of intervention strategies can be applied, what kind of remedial sessions to be run for the students so that they are able to successfully complete.”

Lal says they have the authority under the TSLS Act to obtain the academic progress report from the institutions they fund.

He stresses this intervention is important, as the students are funded by the taxpayers.

“If we do not provide this kind of attention to these students, they are the ones who will form the attrition rate for TSLS and also for the university and it’s a wastage of taxpayers’ money.”

According to the TSLS requirement, students failing to meet the GPA or pass rate specified in their agreement undergo three probation notices.

If students on probation do not show improvement, they face suspension and must study privately.

They will only be reinstated into the scholarship system upon improving their GPA.