The Ministry of Finance has so far assisted 203,942 students with a total payout of $40.8 million under the Government’s Back to School support initiative.
Permanent Secretary Shiri Goundar said over 41,000 students were paid the $200 allowance yesterday.
He said while this assistance has supported thousands of families to prepare their children to get back to school, the injection of over $40 million just within a week has also induced a major pick up in business activity.
“Positive sentiments have been shared by the business community who have reported a strong pick up in their sales.”
“Again, we would like to urge parents to use the funds responsibly to purchase school related items and ensure that students are properly equipped before school starts in February.”
Parents can withdraw the funds at any Vodafone or Digicel outlet or purchase items at registered retail outlets accepting mPAISA or MYCASH payments.
Parents that had opted for payment through Post Fiji can visit the nearest postal outlet to access their funds.